England will be challenged by another Asian team Afghanistan:
England will be challenged by another Asian team in Afghanistan on Tuesday at the same venue where India thumped Pakistan. The hosts, apart from a blip in the match against the Men in Green, have been dominant right through their campaign.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, is struggling to come to the terms with the top teams in the competition. They were rolled over by South Africa in Cardiff and can only hope to improve their show in the remaining games of the competition.
England Captain Hamstring Injury:
England Captain’s Eoin Morgan’s fitness and his availability for this match is not yet confirmed. While Roy went off the field against the West Indies due to a hamstring strain and has been ruled out two matches, the Brits’ skipper suffered back spasm.
The management might ponder over resting both of them and giving the likes of James Vince and either of Moeen Ali or Liam Dawson a go in this match.
Afghanistan is likely to bring back Najibullah Zadran after strangely dropping him in the previous outing
Match Details:
The 24th match of the ICC World Cup 2019 will be played between England and Afghanistan at the Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester.
The match starts at 10:30 AM local time (09:30 AM GMT) (2:30 PM PST).
Weather Report:
Manchester weather was kind to India-Pakistan fans on Sunday and the locals would be hoping for the same ahead of this match. According to AccuWeather, there is only a 7% chance of rain and it will remain partly cloudy throughout the day.
The temperature will hover around 15-18 degrees Celsius during the match.
Pitch Report:
The surface for the marquee clash was absolutely flat and the ball turned significantly later on. This brings Afghanistan spinners into the game as well.
The team winning the toss should look to bat first irrespective of the conditions as Pakistan bowlers hardly found any swing after the first few overs against India.
Average first innings score: 258 (last five One-Day matches at the venue)
England Vs Afghanistan Head To Head:
England have an excellent head to head record against Afghanistan in ODI cricket, England have won 4, and Afghanistan won only 1 out of 5 matches they have played against each other.
England Playing 11:
- James Vince
- Jonny Bairstow
- Joe Root
- Eoin Morgan (C)
- Moeen Ali
- Ben Stokes
- Jos Buttler (wk)
- Chris Woakes
- Liam Plunkett
- Jofra Archer
- Adil Rashid
- Mark Wood
Bench – Jason Roy, Eoin Morgan (C)/Moeen Ali, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson.
Afghanistan Playing 11:
- Noor Ali Zadran
- Hazratullah Zazai
- Rahmat Shah
- Hashmatullah Shahidi
- Asghar Afghan/Najibullah Zadran
- Mohammad Nabi
- Ikram Ali Khil (wk)
- Gulbadin Naib (C)
- Rashid Khan
- Aftab Alam
- Hamid Hassan.
Bench – Asghar Afghan/Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Team News:
Jason Roy has been ruled out of two matches due to hamstring teat while Morgan’s back spasm has settled down.
Though the England skipper is still doubtful to play this game.
Power Picks:
Jos Buttler enjoys batting at the Old Trafford and has scores of 75* and 110 to his name in two outings at the venue.
Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:
Captain Options: Jonny Bairstow, Mark Wood, Joe Root
Vice-Captain Options: Hazratullah Zazai, Chris Woakes, Liam Plunkett
Suggested Playing 11 No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:
Wicket-Keeper – Jos Buttler, Jonny Bairstow (C)
Batsmen – Noor Ali Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Joe Root
All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi, Chris Woakes (VC)
Bowlers – Hamid Hassan, Rashid Khan, Liam Plunkett, Jofra Archer.
Suggested Playing 11 No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:
Wicket-Keeper – Jonny Bairstow
Batsmen – Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai (VC), James Vince, Joe Root
All-Rounders – Gulbadin Naib, Chris Woakes, Ben Stokes
Bowlers – Aftab Alam, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood (C).
Expert Advice:
Mark Wood’s pace could prove tough to handle for Afghanistan and he makes for a great multiplier option in the GL.
If England bats first, go with Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow as your C and VC (in any order).
If Afghanistan bats first, make sure you have all the England pacers in your fantasy team and make at least one of them C or VC.
Chris Woakes might not be promoted again as it could be a one-off experiment.
Probable Winners:
- England are expected to win this match.
