T20 World Cup 2022: Match 14 - Predicted Afghanistan Playing XI vs England

As the First-Round fixtures have concluded, the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 group stage matches will commence from October 22, Saturday in Australia. Afghanistan are to cross swords with England in the 14^th fixture of the marquee tournament that will be played in Perth Stadium at Perth.

England are riding high as they are coming off from a three-match T20I series win 2-0 against hosts Australia prior to the marquee tournament. Moreover, the side geared up for the competition in style following the win against Pakistan in the warm-up fixture. Whereas Afghanistan fine-tuned their performance against Bangladesh in their practice match and will look to give the English side a tough fight. While both teams appear to be in form, England are still the side that come into this match as the heavyweights.

Let’s look at Afghanistan’s probable playing XI against England:

Openers: Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)

Zazai is the most likely to play as the opener as the explosive left-hander has all traits of being a massive weapon. Hitting the ball out of the park comes naturally to the batter and can be decisive in helping his side attain big scores.

Along with Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz will join him in the middle of the pitch as the second opener. The wicketkeeper-batter scored 26 runs in the warm-up fixture against Bangladesh and was dismissed for a golden duck in the match against Pakistan. He will look to redeem himself soon and anchor the innings to gain confidence with the bat.

Middle-order: Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Usman Ghani

Ibrahim Zadran appears in sensational form for his side following his sublime 46-run knock off 39 balls against Bangladesh. The batter could fire all cylinders assuming the top order crumbles and is a proven custodian in recent matches with his consistency.

The Asia Cup 2022 saw decent performances projected by Najibullah Zadran, however, the player has not read the Australian conditions too well in the practice games. In any case, the batter will make the cut in the middle order and will look to regain his form as he maintained in the

Ghani has over the years flourished into an exciting prospect and can add strength into the middle order with his services. The ability to smash the opposition sides is something the batter is capable of at a given point.

All-rounder: Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan

The Afghanistan skipper’s experience will add a lot to the side as the matches come thick and fast. Moreover, Nabi blasted 17-ball 41 in the warm-up fixture that included as many as five maximums. Apart from his power-hitting, the skipper can dent the rival side’s batting line up with his spin.

Rashid Khan is easily one of the deadliest spinners who can change the complexion of the game at any point. Moreover, the player holds vast experience of playing in the big matches that could be of help to the national side in the tournament. Interestingly, the leg spinner can also be of help with the bat as the player can hit a few out of the park.

Bowlers: Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik

Left arm pacer, Farooqi displayed a fine outing against Bangladesh, scalping three wickets under his name. Nabi-led Afghanistan will look for similar performances from the player against an in-form England side.

Another pacer in the squad who could play against England could be Naveen-ul-Haq. The pacer has shown fine form in his recent outings with his most recent one being the warm-up match where he picked a wicket. The duo of Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq could be an interesting one and will prove to be tricky in the Australian conditions against the English batters.

Like Rashid, Mujeeb ur Rahman is another spinner who can topple the batters with his spell-binding performances. The mystery spinner will prove to crucial in the crunch moments of the match and the English batters will need to read his spin with more panache.

Fareed Ahmad Malik bagged two wickets in his three overs and gave away just nine runs in the practice match. He could use the conditions of the pitch to his advantage and bamboozle the batters handing his side vital breakthroughs. Undoubtedly, he will look to make his mark against the English side with his class bowling.

Afghanistan’s predicted XI against England: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Usman Ghani, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik