England vs Afghanistan Match Prediction: The Sportsrush present before you Match Prediction of 2019 World Cup Match 24 between ENG and AFG.
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Ever since they were stunned by Pakistan, home side England have taken no time in getting back on track. They’ve registered two comprehensive wins against Bangladesh and West Indies, reinstating their claim as front-runners for the glistening trophy.
And up against Afghanistan today, England will be quietly confident of making it three wins in three. They’re up against a side who have completely failed to justify the immense pool of skill set they expose in their outfit, a side languishing in last place.
For Afghanistan, the 2019 edition of the World Cup has completely swayed away from their game plan. They came into the quadrennial tournament looking to massively upset some big countries and register a slew of impressive performances but they’ve looked jittery at best, failing to come to terms with the pressure a tournament of such magnitude accords.
Be it the batting line-up or pace department, leaving aside a couple of individual performances, Afghanistan have been wiped the floor with up till now. They’ve managed to throw away matches failing to make full use of the dominating position they found themselves in a couple of encounters.
England vs Afghanistan – What numbers suggest?
The two countries have only squared off against each other the one time previously, a 2015 World Cup encounter which was won by England.
England vs Afghanistan – Key Battles
Jonny Bairstow vs Rashid Khan
With the ECB confirming that opener Jason Roy is out for the next two matches owing to a hamstring tear, the onus on Jonny Bairstow to come up with the big innings has increased. In the midst of a mediocre tournament, Bairstow is still searching for his elusive century, something he’ll be eyeing against Afghanistan.
Comprising of three spinners, Afghanistan hold the biggest weapon to yield against Bairstow. He hates playing against the rank turners and in Rashid Khan he’ll be coming up against a player he knows extremely well. The two play for the same franchisee in the IPL and will be well versed with each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
The strategy has to be simple for Rashid and Afghanistan. They should be looking to take Bairstow aback by deploying Rashid in the opening over itself and asking the spinner to get the ball to move away from Bairstow. In the opening exchanges, Bairstow likes getting bat onto ball and he’ll tentatively edge at Khan’s deliveries, something which can easily see him miscue the ball.
Jofra Archer vs Noor Ali Zadran
Coming in as Mohammad Shahzad’s replacement, Noor Ali Zadran has grabbed the opportunity accorded to him with both hands, playing two crucial innings in the previous two matches.
For Afghanistan, the need for him to come good again is massive. If Noor can see out the opening 10 overs for his and help nullify the massive threat Jofra Archer possesses, the middle-order will come out to bat in pristine batting conditions.
That being said, things won’t be easy for Zadran as Archer’s speed and swing is going to be all the more difficult for him to play the moving ball. He should be looking to block or leave the majority of the deliverers and let the ball lose its sheen. The lightest lapse in concentration will see Jofra get the ball to go between his pad and bat.
England vs Afghanistan – Match Prediction
Given the prevailing conditions and the depth England have in their batting unit, they hold a huge advantage over Afghanistan in this match. The match played at the Old Trafford Cricket stadium a couple of days earlier between India and Pakistan showed just how fine a batting surface the stadium offers, one where the English side will be looking to scour past 300 with ease.
The one area where Afghanistan can outdo England though is the spin department. Yuzvendra Chahal, Imad Wasim, Shadab Wasim and Kuldeep Yadav all got the ball to treacherously turn on this surface and with Afghanistan having a terrific trio of slower bowlers, they’ll be looking for the three to judiciously pummel England.
The strength in the spin department is something which the batting unit completely negates. Barring the top 3, the rest of the batsmen induce the lowest of confidence. England will massively dominate Afghanistan here and those extra runs should see them cruise past this match and consolidate their spot at the top of the standings.
