There have only been two ODI World Cup games for
Afghanistan. They only managed one victory in 2015, which came against
Scotland, losing five of their six games. With nine defeats in as many games,
the 2019 version was even less memorable. However, this time they are
anticipated to do significantly better since the Indian wickets are anticipated
to favour their spinners.
In recent years, few teams have been able to defeat
Bangladesh in Bangladesh. As a result, Afghanistan won the three-match ODI
series in July by a score of 2-1. But since then, they’ve lost five straight
games. In all three of their matches against Pakistan in Sri Lanka, they posed
a challenge, but they were defeated because they lacked a killer instinct.
After a humiliating net run rate error against Sri Lanka, their Asia Cup season
was abruptly over.
Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are set
to be in the starting XI, with Noor Ahmad sitting on the bench, making the
lineup once more spin-heavy. They summoned up Naveen-ul-Haq, who hadn’t played
an ODI since January 2021, to bolster their seam attack.
Rashid Khan is a crucial player regardless of which
team he is on. But Rashid needs to step up his game if Afghanistan is to fare
better at the World Cup. His overall ODI record is outstanding (172 wickets at
an average of 19.53), but his statistics against Full Members who will be
competing in this World Cup (41 wickets at 28.80) are subpar. The good news is
that Rashid can concentrate on his bowling with Hashmatullah Shahidi guiding
the team.
Since a long time ago, batting has been Afghanistan’s
weaker area, but today they have an opening duo in Rahmanullah Gurbaz and
Ibrahim Zadran who can not only get them off to fast starts but also high
totals. They recently added 227 against a Pakistani assault at full strength,
and in their 18 ODI matches together, they have combined for six hundreds.
Even though Fazalhaq Farooqi has only participated in
21 ODIs, the left-arm seamer has already faced up against some of cricket’s
most powerful batsmen owing to the IPL, PSL, and Abu Dhabi T10. Farooqi has a
slower ball as well as one that she can swing and bowl yorkers with. His
ability to make early inroads will make the spinners’ jobs much simpler.