ICC U19 World Cup 2020: 5th Place Playoff Semi-final 2: Australia Under-19s vs Afghanistan Under-19s: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

Match Details:

The 5th place Playoff Semi-final 2 of the 2020 ICC Under-19 World Cup will be played between Australia U19s and Afghanistan U19s at the North-West University No.1 Ground in Potchefstroom.

The match starts at 10:00 AM local time (1:30 PM IST) (8:00 AM GMT). This match will be live on Star Sports 3. Live streaming will be available on Hotstar.

Match Preview for Dream11 Fantasy

The caravan of the 2020 edition of the ICC U-19 World Cup rolls on and the fifth-place Playoff semi-final 02 will see Australia U-19 lock horns with Afghanistan U-19 as both sides aim to shrug off the ignominy of the chastening quarter-final defeat at the hands of India and Pakistan respectively.

The 2018 runners-up Australia looked well set to beat India in their quarter-finals with their bowling attack-led by Matthew Villans [1-41], Connor Sully [1-56] and Corey Kelly [2-45] helping them restrict India to 9-233 in 50 overs. But, it was their batting that once again led them, proving once again how over-dependent they have been on the trio of Jake Fraser-McGurk, Mckenzie Harvey and Sam Fanning, who scored a 75 in the last game.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, too had an off day with the bat in their quarter-final clash against Pakistan where their inexperience once again came to the fore as they continued to throw their wickets away. None of the likes of Ibrahim Zadran [11], Farhan Zakhil [40], Rahmanullah [29] and Abid Mohammadi were guilty of throwing their wicket away, paving way for an underwhelming total of 189 in 40.1 overs, which was eventually chased down by Pakistan in 41.1 overs.

Weather Condition/Report

It is expected to be a cloudy day in Potchefstroom on Saturday. According to the weather report, overcast conditions are set to be the order of the day in the city on Saturday. While the temperature is set to be between 24 and 27 degrees Celsius, the humidity will hover around 78%. Chance of rain- 20℅.

Pitch Condition/Report

The past three games in Potchefstroom has seen one side rack up a total in excess of 270, only to see the other side fall miserably short in achieving it. With overcast conditions on offer, both sides might look to exploit the early moisture and make in-roads in the opposition batting line-up.

Average first innings score:– 285 [In the last three games at the venue]

Record of chasing teams: Won – 0, Lost – 3

Injury and Availability News

Jake Fraser-McGurk will no longer take part in the tournament after he returned home due to monkey scratch.

Corey Kelly might not play due to the concussion that he suffered in the previous game against India Under-19s.

Probable Playing XIs

Australia U19s

Sam Fanning, MacKenzie Harvey (C),  Cooper Connolly, Lachlan Hearne, Oliver Davies, Patrick Rowe (WK), Liam Scott, Tanveer Sangha, Connor Sully, Todd Murphy, Matthew Willans/Bradley Simpson

Bench – Liam Marshall, Corey Kelly, Bradley Simpson/Matthew Willans

Afghanistan Under-19s:

Ibrahim Zadran, Farhan Zakhil (C), Imran Mir, Rahmanullah Zadran, Abid Mohammadi, Asif Musazai, Mohammadi Ishaq (WK), Abdul Rahman, Shafiqullah Ghafari, Noor Ahmad, Fazal Haq.

Bench – Sediq Atal, Abid Taniwal, Zohaib Ahmadzai, Jamshid Mir Alikhil.

Top Picks:

Australia U19- Sam Fanning played a patient knock of 75 in the last game while Mackenzie Harvey and Lachlan Hearne racked up 65 and 45 respectively against England in the league-stage. In the absence of Jake Fraser-McGurk, the trio will have to spearhead the Aussie batting unit. While Tanveer Sangha has chipped in with wickets in the middle-overs, the fast bowlers Connor Sully and Matthew Villans have been absolutely brilliant at the start of the innings.

Afghanistan U19- The likes of Ibrahim Zadran [150 runs in 3 games], Farhan Zakhil [40 vs Pakistan], Rahmanullah [113 runs in 3 games] will be the ones to watch out for, as far as the batting is concerned, while Shafiqullah Ghafari [11 wickets at 6.72] and Noor Ahmed [7 wickets at 15.14] will lead the bowling attack.

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain – Mackenzie Harvey, Ibrahim Zadran, Shafiullah Ghafari, Tanveer Sangha

Vice-Captain – Rahmanullah, Farhan Zakhil, Connor Sully

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Patrick Rowe

Batters – Mackenzie Harvey (VC), Sam Fanning, Farhan Zakhil, Ibrahim Zadran (C)

All-Rounders- Liam Scott, Tanveer Sangha, Shafiqullah Ghafari

Bowlers- Connor Sully, Bradley Simpson, Noor Ahmed

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Fantasy Cricket:

Keeper – Patrick Rowe

Batters – Mackenzie Harvey, Sam Fanning, Rahmanullah Zadran, Imran Mir

All-Rounders- Ollie Davies, Tanveer Sangha (VC), Shafiqullah Ghafari (C)

Bowlers- Matthew Willans, Noor Ahmed, Todd Murphy

Expert Advice:

Both sides have got great depth in spin bowling in the form of Shafiqullah Ghafari, Tanveer Sangha, Todd Murphy, and Noor Ahmed. Tanveer Sangha has chipped in with the bat too. Hence opting for them captain/vice-captain in the Dream11 Fantasy grand-league team can be a good punt.

As far as small leagues are concerned, both sides’ top-order has been the cornerstone of their batting unit, and hence you can opt for the likes of Ibrahim Zadran, Mackenzie Harvey or Sam Fanning as captain/vice-captain. Apart from all of this, with the weather expected to be cloudy, fast bowlers like Connor Sully, Corey Kelly can also come into play.

Probable Winners:

Australia U19s are expected to come out as the winners.

Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.