ICC World Cup 2019 – Match 4: AFG vs AUS – Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI

Playing in just their second World Cup, Afghanistan will begin their campaign against the mighty Aussies. Led by a new captain in the form of Gulbadin Naib, the team will look to push hard in the tournament. Even though it won’t be easy, Afghanistan has taken giant strides at the international level and has been bringing out some great performances.

They sure wouldn’t give up without putting in a great fight. They managed to defeat Pakistan in one of the warm-up games and will hope to do the same against Australia. Picking the eleven for the first game of the tournament is always tough. Just like any other team, there are some tough calls to make for Afghanistan. They have seen how their players performed in the warm-up games and will look to pick the final eleven accordingly.

Here is the Predicted Playing XI for Afghanistan

Openers (Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hazratullah Zazai)

Mohammad Shahzad has been the first-choice wicket-keeper for Afghanistan. He has the ability to hit the big shots and likes taking the attack to the opposition just like his partner Hazratullah Zazai. Shahzad has had issues with his hamstring in the last few days. But he should be fine for the opening encounter and wouldn’t want to miss even a single game in the tournament.

Zazai opened the innings for Afghanistan in both the practice games and is definitely going to do it against Australia as well. If the 21-year-old can manage to bat for at least 10 or 15 overs, he can make a significant impact on the game. He should look to take the pressure off his opening partner and give his team a good start.

Middle Order (Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan)

25-year-old Rahmat Shah will bat at number three for his team. In 60 ODIs thus far, he has scored 2001 runs at an average of 36. Shah has got a good technique and also bowls useful leg-spin when required. Furthermore, he is also capable of keeping the wickets. Along with Hashmatullah Shahidi, he adds stability to the middle order.

Shahidi guided his team to a great win in the warm-up game against Pakistan. He remained unbeaten on 74 runs off 102 balls in that game. However, they have got to work on improving their strike rate. Veteran cricketer Asghar Afghan will be the other player in the middle order. The former skipper anchors the middle order and can score big runs at a decent clip.

All Rounders (Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib (c), Rashid Khan)

Mohammad Nabi adds a great deal of balance to this Afghanistan side. The all-rounder is equally capable with the bat as well as the ball. With the opposition featuring quite a few left-handers, Nabi will have a massive job ahead in the next game. Also, Afghanistan might require his services down the order to either score some quick runs or to steady the ship.

Skipper Gulbadin Naib has been doing well with the ball. In the last 5 ODIs, he has accounted for 11 wickets and his economy rate was just over 5. Naib will have Rashid Khan for the company during the middle overs. Oppositions are not looking to take too many risks against the leg-spinner. Since he said that he will unearth a few new variations a few weeks ago during the IPL, there is some great excitement and it would be interesting to see how they pan out.

Bowlers (Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman)

Picking their three bowlers will be quite a task for Afghanistan. Choosing between Hamid Hassan, Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran will be tough. There are two situations that arise here. If they decide to pick Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the team considering that spin is one of their biggest strengths, one of the three pacers will have to be sidelined.

But at the same time, Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s form hasn’t been as encouraging of late. Thus, since they already have the likes of Nabi and Rashid, they might also look at the option of benching the spinner. But it’d be better for them to back their strengths and go with the spinner for the first game.