🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: S8 - Match 48: AFG vs Aus @6:00 AM IST🏏

🏏ICC T20I WC 2024: S8 - Match 48: Afghanistan vs Australia on 23/6/2024 @6:00 AM IST🏏

Afghanistan and Australia continue their ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 campaign by facing off in the Super Eight stage. Both sides will lock horns in game 48 of the tournament at the Arnos Vale Ground, Kingstown, St. Vincent, on Sunday, June 23. 
This will be the second game for Australia in the Super Eight stage. The Men in Yellow are currently unbeaten in the T20 World Cup 2024, and they will hope to put in another good showing against Afghanistan. On the other hand, Afghanistan has already played its first game in the Super Eight stage. The side took on India but faced a hefty loss. 

Pitch Report and Conditions 

The surface at Arnos Vale Ground is one that is preferred by the spinners; a lot of turn will be on offer and the batters will have to stay patient in the early stages of the clash and go big towards the end. Opting to bowl first could be a viable decision.  Spinners have thrived in Kingstown, picking up 22 wickets at an economy rate of 5.64 in six innings this tournament. Expect more of the same when two of the world's best T20 wristspinners Rashid and Zampa will be in action on Saturday night. 

Form guide

Afghanistan LLWWW (last five completed T20Is, most recent first)

Australia WWWWW

Head-to-Head Records

Matches 1
Won by Australia 01
Won by Afghanistan 00
Tied 00
No Result 00
First-ever Fixture November 04, 2022
Most-recent Fixture November 04, 2022

Team news: Will Australia bring back Agar?

Hazratullah Zazai fell cheaply against India, but Afghanistan will likely give him another go.

Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Hazratullah Zazai, 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Gulbadin Naib, 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan (capt), 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi

Considering the slow, turning tracks in Kingstown and Afghanistan's right-hand heavy line-up, Australia might bring back left-arm fingerspinner Agar, instead of one of the three frontline quicks, and pair him up with Zampa and Maxwell.

Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh (capt), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Tim David, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Josh Hazlewood/Ashton Agar, 11 Adam Zampa

Stats and trivia: Farooqi dominates powerplay

• Agar has dismissed Nabi twice in ten balls while conceding just four runs in T20 cricket. He is one wicket away from becoming the second Australia spinner, after Zampa, to 50 T20I wickets.

• Farooqi has bagged 15 wickets in this T20 World Cup at an economy rate of 5.45. Eight of those 15 wickets have come in the powerplay, the most by a bowler during this phase in the tournament.

• Travis Head, David and Stoinis have hit 129 sixes among them in T20 cricket this year.

In the spotlight: Naveen-ul-Haq and Tim David

Naveen-ul-Haq has taken some pasting in the Caribbean leg of the T20 World Cup, but he is Afghanistan's best bet to counter Australia's power-packed line-up at the death. He can bowl yorkers from a slingy action and has several slower variations, including the knuckle ball, tailor-made for the low bounce in St Vincent. Naveen has a chance to add to those variations by working with Dwayne Bravo at Afghanistan and Texas Super Kings in the upcoming MLC.

Naveen, though, will have to be wary of Tim David, who has taken him for 50 off 38 balls in T20 cricket without being dismissed. David also has a good head-to-head record against Rashid - 62 off 45 balls with just two dismissals - and has been working on his own spin bowling though Australia haven't needed his secondary skill in the T20 World Cup proper. If David doesn't get you, Marcus Stoinis will. If Stoinis doesn't get you, Maxwell will.

Probable Best Performers of the match 

Probable Best Batter: David Warner

Australia’s David Warner could be the best batter in the upcoming clash against Afghanistan. The veteran batter came into his own in the side’s previous game against Bangladesh, scoring 53 runs in 35 deliveries and his performance could be crucial against Afghanistan.

Probable Best Bowler: Adam Zampa

With a spin-favouring surface, it could be quite possible that Adam Zampa could be the best bowler for the Men in Yellow. With 18 wickets in his last 10 matches, Zampa has been in brilliant form and he will be expected to be on top of his game once more. 

Quotes

"I think there are a few players who are very early in their international careers and they will learn from it. And World Cup is always the biggest stage when you're playing against the biggest team as well."

Rashid Khan on the Afghanistan youngsters

"Yeah, it was nice to get out there and hit a couple, but I've said it pretty consistently. I felt pretty good throughout the whole tournament." 

Glenn Maxwell on his cameo against Bangladesh

Big Picture: All eyes on Glenn Maxwell

The last time Australia faced Afghanistan, history was made. A cramping Glenn Maxwell was writhing in pain - he could barely walk, let alone run - but pulled off a miracle in Mumbai. They were struggling at 91 for 7 in pursuit of 293, but Maxwell's epic double-hundred put Australia back on track for another world title and left Afghanistan on the brink of elimination.

Maxwell then endured a difficult IPL with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, where he even took a break. He started the T20 World Cup with a duck against Oman and then laboured to 28 off 25 balls against England. He was bowled cheaply by a ripper from Mark Watt in the chase against Scotland, but in the chase against Bangladesh, he showed signs of his best, though he faced only six balls in a rain-hit fixture. He swatted legspinner Rishad Hossain over long-on and crunched Mustafizur Rahman through the covers. Maxwell finished with 14 off six balls at a strike rate of 233.33. Australia will hope that Maxwell, the spin-hitter, can produce an even bigger impact against Rashid Khan and co. on a Kingstown pitch that has been conducive to spin.

Though Maxwell is yet to hit full tilt, Australia's middle order (between Nos. 4-7) has struck at 168.09, the best among all 20 teams in this T20 World Cup. In contrast, Afghanistan's middle order has struck at less than 100 - the lowest among all Full-Member teams in this tournament. Adam Zampa and potentially Ashton Agarcould make life even more difficult for the Afghanistan middle-order batters in Kingstown.

This game will be played in the backdrop of some tension between the two boards. Cricket Australia has refused to play Afghanistan in bilateral series in the recent past because of political reasons. Australia's decision to pull out of multiple bilateral series against Afghanistan has met fierce condemnation, including a threat from Rashid Khan to pull out of the BBL. Afghanistan's players will be out to prove a point about their standing in the global game when they take Australia on in a third World Cup game in three years.