ICC T20 World Cup hosts Australia face Afghanistan in a crucial match on Friday at the Adelaide Oval. At the time of writing, Australia, New Zealand and England sit on five points in four games, with the Aussies third because of their negative net run rate. (More Cricket News)
Group 1 is still wide open and four teams have a shot at qualifying for the semifinals. New Zealand will take on Ireland before the Australia Vs Afghanistan game and all the Black Caps need is to win the game and ensure their semifinal berth.
For Australia, a win is mandatory if they want to keep their hopes alive of a top two finish in the group. The Aussies might have to do it in a convincing fashion too, to improve their net run rate and go above England in the points table. The Aussies then need to hope that Sri Lanka defeat England or the Brits win by a minimal margin, not improving their net run rate. There are several permutations and combinations at play and this group has truly turned into a group of death.
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Australian captain Aaron Finch was back in form, smashing 63 off 44 balls against Ireland in the previous game. The washed out game against England has done more damage than good for the hosts of the tournament. Wicket-taking wise, it has been a team effort from the Australian bowling unit, with no bowler taking more than three wickets in the tournament so far.
In Afghanistan, Australia do have an easier fixture as compared to England but the Afghans are not to be taken lightly. There’s no chance for them to qualify for the semifinals and will be hoping to spoil the party of others.
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The Asian team has had two games washed out due to rain and have lost two other games. Mohammed Nabi’s side will be hoping to end their T20 World Cup 2022 on a positive note by springing a surprise against Australia. After all, it has been a tournament where minnows have stunned the big sides on a number of occasions.
Afghanistan’s potent spin attack comprising of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have failed on the pitches of Australia. This has been one of the main reasons why the Afghans have struggled to win games as they heavily rely on their spin duo. It will be a daunting task for Afghanistan to get the better of Australia’s aggressive batting lineup but on their day, they can pull off some stunners.
When And Where To Watch Australia Vs Afghanistan, ICC T20 World Cup 2022
In India, Star Sports has broadcast rights for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The match begins at 1:30 PM IST. Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu and Star Sports 1 Kannada will live telecast the Australia Vs Afghanistan match. Live streaming of the Australia Vs Afghanistan match on Disney+Hotstar.
Squads:
Australia: Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
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Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Qais Ahmad, Rashid Khan, Salim Safi, Usman Ghani.
