After a comprehensive win over Bangladesh, England is all set to take on Afghanistan in Match 13 of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023 on Sunday, October 15 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. They have made a comeback in the tournament, after losing the first match against New Zealand by nine wickets in Ahmedabad in the tournament opener.
The Jos Buttler-led team is fifth on the points table currently, with two points from as many games. Meanwhile, Afghanistan is reeling at the bottom of the table. They have lost both of their matches in the tournament so far. Bangladesh defeated them by six wickets in Dharamshala, followed by a loss against India in Delhi. Talking about the H2H records, England and Afghanistan have played two ODIs so far. England has won both the games.
In this article, we look at the key player battles for the England vs Afghanistan match of the ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023.
ICC Cricket World Cup 2023: Key Player Battles for ENG vs AFG
Joe Root vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Veteran batter Joe Root has been in good form in the ongoing ICC ODI Cricket World Cup 2023. He has slammed two fifties in as many matches so far in the tournament. His knock powered England to a thumping win over Bangladesh in the recent game. Root will be up against Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the upcoming match. Rahman is the fourth-ranked bowler in ODI cricket at the moment. The duo has only played one match against each other. Root struggled to score runs against the spinner, scoring only seven off 13 deliveries.
Jos Buttler vs Rashid Khan
England skipper Jos Buttler hasn’t been able to make an impact in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 so far. He will be keen to get some runs under his belt in the upcoming match. It will be interesting to watch him play against Rashid Khan, who is one of the top spinners in world cricket at the moment. The duo has never played in ODIs against each other, however, they have played 11 T20 matches. Rashid has dismissed Buttler four times, conceding 50 runs at a strike rate of 69.4.
Hashmatullah Shahidi vs Adil Rashid
Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi will have to shoulder the responsibility of the batting attack in the tournament. He has had a decent tournament so far, scoring 80 runs against India in the last game. He will be keen to continue the run against England. Shahidi will be facing Adil Rashid in the game. The duo has played only one ODI against each other. The Afghanistan skipper scored 25 runs off 22 deliveries in that game off Rashid, including a boundary and a six.
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