England aim to continue winning run against Afghanistan

When New Zealand crushed England by nine wickets in the 2023 ODI World Cup opener, many of the Three Lions’ frailties were immediately exposed. 

But more importantly, it exposed a huge chink in the English armour - their attacking nature. 

On days when it comes off, England are the best side in world cricket, with runs flowing for fun. But on days when it doesn’t come off, it feels naive and foolish, as the game against New Zealand showed. 

However, Jos Buttler and co bounced back a few days later with a dominant win against Bangladesh at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Stadium (HPCA) in Dharamshala. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s World Cup tale is too familiar. 

Last time, in 2019, Afghanistan went through an entire tournament with nine Ls in front of them. It didn’t stop there, they have started this year’s World Cup with two Ls as well - making it 14 in a row. 

Things to watch out for

Dawid Malan - key for England

After the clash against Bangladesh, there couldn’t have been more obvious than this - Dawid Malan is definitely a key for England. But it isn’t just that, Malan’s importance to the English team is more profound, perhaps he is more important than several others in the batting unit. 

In just eight clashes, Malan has already scored 620 runs, seven more than Roy, who has played nine innings more. Despite only playing 12 ODIs since the start of 2022, the left-hander has the second-most runs (452) against spin from the current English setup, with only Buttler scoring more runs. 

All the focus will be on Malan to counter that Against a bowling attack with three spin options, with a potent one in the form of Rashid Khan, who has never dismissed him in T20s. 

Mujeeb needs to dust his rust off

Across the last six ODIs, Mujeeb has just picked up four wickets. At the ODI World Cup, the off-spinner has picked up seven wickets. But none at this year’s World Cup. That’s perhaps one of the hunting points for Afghanistan, with their spin unit heavily struggling. 

In the lead-up to the Asia Cup, since 2021, Mujeeb had picked up 23 wickets in 21 innings, with an economy rate of 4.3, in contrast to the 6.3 economy rate that he has in this year’s competition. So, that is where the off-spinner will have to dust the cobweb off and contribute with the ball for Afghanistan. 

Can Afghani batters survive the Topley-scare? 

Afghanistan have a reputation for being terrible against left-arm pace - an average of 20.1 and a run-rate of 4.6 - the worst amongst all the teams at the 2023 World Cup. While Bangladesh’s Shoriful Islam and Mustafizur Rahman couldn’t quite maximise those shortcomings, England certainly are set to test the Afghani batters out.

Topley is coming on the back of a scintillating four-wicket haul against Bangladesh. England understood first-hand that not having someone of his calibre was always going to make a bowling unit weaker. With the conditions in Delhi, losing early wickets would only curtain the run-scoring. 

Ground Details and Combinations

Historical data has proven to be irrelevant at the venue thus far in this year’s World Cup. A venue that is historically typecasted as a spin-friendly venue has been nothing short of a batting paradise in the tournament. 

Amongst all the venues in this year’s World Cup, the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi has the best run-rate (7.2) and the second-best batting average (52). Pacers have picked up 19 wickets at the venue, 13 more than spinners. But in all, it is a ground that has favoured the batters massively in the two games. So, expect another batter-friendly wicket.

Tactical Insights

- Jonny Bairstow will be keen to take the field in Delhi, a venue that has been extremely batting-friendly till now. The right-hander has scored 90 runs, with a strike-rate of 90.9 in ODIs against Afghanistan. His knowledge of facing most Afghani bowlers across the various domestic leagues could also be handy. 

- While not in form, Mujeeb’s record is great against Malan, with three wickets, averaging just five, which is extraordinary. He also has dismissed Jonny Bairstow once in the three deliveries he’s bowled to him in Indian conditions. So, considering all of that, he has the perfect match-up in front of him.

Team News and Probable XI

There is no update yet on Ben Stokes’ fitness, which means England are likely to stick with the XI that won comprehensively against Bangladesh the other day. 

England’s Predicted XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley

Despite two losses on the trot, this is Afghanistan’s best possible XI from their setup. If the Delhi pitch turns out to be a turner, there is a possibility that they could include someone like Noor Ahmad to add a dimension to their bowling unit. 

Afghanistan’s Predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi