🏏ICC Men's T20I WC 2022 - Super 12 - Group 1 - ENG vs AFG🏏 - Page 2

Hello hello, and welcome to the wild, wild west. Are we ready to bounce? The Super 12s are up and running at the SCG - or limping, in Australia's case - but attention will swiftly turn to Perth. England were semi-finalists at last year's World Cup and will be expecting to get on a roll at the Optus; but Afghanistan aren't short of a few gunslingers in their XI and have plans to turn this into a stick up. It's Jos vs Rash, Stokes vs Nabi, Woody vs Rahmanullah… What more do you need for a classic shootout? We've also got serving platters full of preview content for you to get through before the action kicks off, starting with a couple of meaty ones: how to bat and bowl in Australia (hint: you don't want to be chasing in Perth) and the predictions of our expert panel.

Originally posted by: Savera84

Did you know?

- Both England and Afghanistan players are quite well accustomed to the Australian conditions. The two teams have been the biggest exporters of players to BBL in the recent period. Across the last three editions of BBL, 57% of overseas slots have been filled by players from these two nations.

- Since the 2021 T20 World Cup, in the 10 matches England have batted first (excluding rain-curtailed game in Canberra last week), they have crossed 200+ five times and hit 199 in another.

- Since the start of 2021, only two Afghanistan batters have scored at a strike rate of over 125 in T20Is while Najibullah Zadran is the only batter with a double of 30+ average and 130+ strike rate.

Exporters of players 😕Players bhi ab commodity ho gaye hain

Originally posted by: LuvAlways

Exporters of players 😕Players bhi ab commodity ho gaye hain

Well they are being purchased

That too by someone who is paying them the most 🤣

Are England among the favourites? Will a fast and bouncy Perth deck be more to their liking? Do Afghanistan like demolishing such pre-game preconceptions? The answer to one of those questions is definitely yes, and although England have won their two previous meetings in T20 World Cups, not to mention a run-filled encounter against Rashid Khan and co in the 2019 50-over competition, the phrase "there's a first time for everything" was made for such occasions. Jos Buttler's team are on a good run of form, beating Pakistan and Australia in their own conditions, but the build-up has been a little disrupted - Reece Topley is out of the tournament and Chris Woakes their latest injury doubt. For the full tale of the tape for both sides, Andrew Miller's preview is the place to go, and then you can check out who Sam Billings and Wasim Jaffer would have in their XIs

Just 10 minutes to toss and expect plenty of runs on this skiddy and bouncy Perth track. And New Zealand, by the way, are on course to kickstart their campaign with a thumping win against Austraia at the SCG.

"G'day. A bright and beautiful evening here in Perth. Not a big crowd in so far, and most of them seem to be supporting Afghanistan," our man at the ground, Telford Vice, is all charged up for this encounter. Whom are you supporting today? Can England go one better this time? Who will be that X-factor player in today's encounter?

Tristan Lavalette is on the scene for us at the Optus. "Fine conditions. Looks like Woakes playing for England."

England has won the toss and elected to bowl.

Jos Buttler: We gonna have a bowl. It's been a long build-up there's been some good games we are as ready as we can be. Everyone is raring to go. Really excited and great honour to captain your country in a World Cup

England has won the toss and have opted to field

Buttler says England "would like a chase". England have gone with the extra batter, so there's no place for Jordan in the XI. "We've got a lot of talent in the group, a lot of match-winners, we want to go out and express ourselves." Mohammad Nabi isn't unhappy to be batting. "The plan was put a score on the board, put them under pressure," he says.