Afghanistan team are set to play their third men’s ODI World Cup edition after 2015 & 2019 by kick-starting their campaign against Bangladesh at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. Afghans haven’t been successful in this World Cup tournament as they went winless in the 2019 ODI World Cup and managed to win only 1 game in the 2015 World Cup but this time at Indian venues there is a good chance for them to upset a big team in this tournament.
Here, in this article, we will have a look at the expected Playing XI for Afghanistan in their opening match against Bangladesh in the ODI World Cup 2023.
Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have been the regular opening pair for Afghanistan in 2023 ODI matches, hence they are expected to continue the same role. This opening pair has recorded 771 runs from 17 innings at an impressive average of 45.35.
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Middle Order: Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Najibullah Zadran
Rahmat Shah has been the highest run-scorer for Afghanistan in ODIs. He has scored 3269 runs from 93 innings with 5 centuries to his name. Hashmatullah Shahidi will be the leading this Afghan side as skipper and meanwhile, Najibullah Zadran is expected to play in the XI despite his poor form with the bat in recent times (has managed to score only 79 ODI runs in this calendar year from just 7 innings).
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All-Rounder: Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Azmatullah Omarzai
Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan have been the key players for Afghanistan over the years and without a question these two are expected to feature in the starting XI of their side. Nabi recently went on to smash the fastest-ever ODI fifty by an Afghan batsman against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023, when their team’s qualification to reach the Super Fours was at stake.
Azmatullah Omarzai as a right-arm pace bowler is expected to bring in some variety for his side and notably, in his short career he has taken 6 wickets with the ball and scored 137 runs with the bat in ODIs.
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Bowlers: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Naveen-ul-Haq
Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been a key mystery spinner for the Afghan side alongside Rashid Khan and his presence will definitely boost the morale of their side. Fazalhaq Farooqi has taken the most ODI wickets (15) for Afghanistan in this calendar year. Naveen-ul-Haq has played seven ODI matches in his career so far and in total has taken 14 wickets to his name.
