Match Details
Date: 22 October 2022
Time: 04:30 PM IST
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
Ball-by-ball commentary: SportsTiger App
Preview
England and Afghanistan will lock horns in the 14th match of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Perth Stadium on Saturday (22 October). Last year’s semifinalists, England will be playing this year’s T20 World Cup under a new captain.
The Three Lions made it to the last four under Morgan last time, but it is to be seen if they maintain the same consistency under Buttler as well. Meanwhile, Afghanistan will once again threaten all the teams in their group as they can surprise any team on their day. With Mohammad Nabi leading the pack and some talented youngsters in their hut, Afghanistan will be the team to watch out for.
Pitch Report
The pitches at Perth Stadium are known to offer bounce and pace. The batters enjoy their time in the middle with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. Meanwhile, spinners can make use of the longer boundaries to lure batters into their trap.
Team Analysis
England
England have been handed a major blow with in-form Reece Topley ruled out of the tournament after twisting his ankle. Although Tymal Mills has been roped in as his replacement, Topley’s services will be missed. The Three Lions also don’t have Jonny Bairstow but Alex Hales has perfectly filled the void.
Phil Salt is also in red-hot form. Dawid Malan and Ben Stokes have hit the form at the right time. Moeen Ali is going to be crucial as always. Meanwhile, England have got good bowling attack with Sam Curran, Mark Wood, Chris Jordan, and Adil Rashid as different options. It is to be seen if Buttler plays Mills straightaway or if Woakes gets a nod.
SportsTiger Playing XI of England
Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Chris Jordan, Mark Wood, Adil Rashid
Afghanistan
Afghanistan will have a stern challenge of facing England in their opening fixture. Nonetheless, the most-evolved T20I side is always exciting to watch. They have got some exciting young batting talents like Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Najibullah Zadran.
Then there is experienced Mohammad Nabi to handle things in the middle order. Usman Ghani also showed promising signs batting down the order and can be trusted with the finishing job. In bowling, Afghanistan have got Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan to handle the spin department. Meanwhile, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, and Naveen Ul Haq will form the pace attack for them.
SportsTiger Playing XI of Afghanistan
Rhamanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Usman Ghani, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen Ul Haq
Match Prediction
Conclusion
England have all the required resources to beat Afghanistan and the experience of their players will always come in handy for the Three Lions on Saturday.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed within this article are the author’s point of view. They neither reflect the opinion of SportsTiger nor advise anyone to make any prediction based on this. SportsTiger does not assume any responsibility and liability for the same.