The defending champions England will face Afghanistan at Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi on 15th October 2023. It promises to be an exciting encounter as England registered their first win with a huge win over Bangladesh at Dharmshala. Their batters returned to form and made 364 for 9 in 50 overs.
On the other hand, Afghanistan lost their previous match against India by 8 wickets with 15 overs to spare. They need to be at their best to defeat England who will be looking to dominate the Afghanistan team and register their 2nd win.
Both teams have good quality players who can change the course of the game with their abilities. England looks the favourite and would be hoping for another dominating performance.
Here we look at the 5 Players To Watch Out For
- Dawid Malan
The left-handed stylish batter showed his class with a well-conceited century against Bangladesh. He looked in positive touch right from word go and did not allow their bowlers to settle.
It was sublime batting by Malan hitting the pacer’s big shots and keeping the momentum going for the England team. He kept scoring runs with ease helping England strong foundation for a massive total. He eventually was dismissed after his best ODI score of 140.
His role is to play well against the Afghanistan bowling attack and make sure that England puts pressure on their bowling. Playing his first ODI match against the Afg team, Malan would be eager to showcase his talent with positive strokes.
- Ibrahim Zadran
The stylish opener Ibrahim Zadran had a decent outing in the match against India. He played some lovely shots against Bumrah and Siraj. Zadran will look to provide a decent start along with Gurbaz which would put some pressure on England’s bowling lineup.
He will be playing his first One-day international match against England and will be looking to showcase his talent in a superb batting paradise. Zadran would be key for Afghanistan’s chances at the top of the order keeping the momentum going with Gurbaz.
His ability to play positive strokes makes him a batter to watch. Zadran has got starts but is not able to convert into big scores. If Afghanistan needs to challenge the England side, he will need a big score that would help his confidence.
- Joe Root
Joe Root looked in sensational touch during the previous encounter against Bangladesh. After 115 runs opening partnership between Bairstow and Malan, Root came to the crease and showed his class with some delightful strokes that put pressure on bowlers.
His ability to play attacking and innovative strokes against the pace bowlers makes him a tough batter to bowl at. He made his 2nd successive half-century keeping momentum going for England.
England would be hoping that Joe Root provides the stability at number 3 and makes sure that they win the match comfortably. His role is to rotate strike and hit boundaries with ease that will make the Afghanistan captain think on his feet.
- Hashmatullah Shahidi
The Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi had a superb outing in the previous match against India. With 3 wickets falling in quick succession, the left-handed batter struggled initially but showed his class putting pressure on Indian bowling along with Omarzai.
He looked in decent touch keeping scoreboard ticking and not allowing the Indian bowlers to settle. It was a decent batting effort by Shahidi as he was dismissed for 80. His batting effort ensured that Afghanistan posted 272 for 8.
His role is to play attacking shots against the England bowlers on a superb batting paradise and ensure that Afghanistan puts up some fight.
- Reece Topley
Reece Topley had a brilliant outing in his first match of World Cup 2023. He replaced Moeen Ali and troubled the Bangladeshi batting. With the conditions helpful for pacers, Topley made use of the conditions taking the wickets of Tanzid Hasan and Shanto.
He then got rid of Bangladesh captain Shakib AL Hasan and dismissed well-set Rahim. Topley grabbed 4 for 43 in 10 overs and helped England register a comfortable win. Topley would be looking to continue his superb form with another good spell on a batting paradise at Kotla.
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