If Afghanistan want to get through to the Super 8s, they need to ensure two things. One, they do not fumble against the relatively easier sides in the Group and two, they put up a strong fight against the big guys including New Zealand and West Indies. Beating Uganda and PNG would be the first ray of hope for them as well as a bare minimum. In case they fail to register a victory in any of these games, they might as well pack their bags to head back because the damage would be irreparable after that.
Uganda have reached the mega-event pulling off a miracle. They defeated Zimbabwe in what was their first encounter against a full-member side during the African Qualifiers in November last year and ensured their safe entry into their first ICC Tournament. Although this encounter against Afghanistan will require just as much grit from Uganda’s side as they displayed in the African qualifier, a few of Aghanistan’s Achilles’ heels could make the task of taking them down less arduous.
Team Overview:
Afghanistan has one thing that scares even the most formidable of their opponents and that’s their incredible spin forte. And on Caribbean pitches, their spinners like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rehman, Noor Ahmad, and Nangeyalia Kharote would get a thousand-fold more terrifying if the decks offer even the tiniest amount of assistance. What can hurt them is the lean patch of their top order. One reason why Afghanistan did wonders in the recent ODI World Cup was that their opening batters’ bats were churning runs at the top. They will not have that luxury this time around as their recent games against Ireland exposed this issue mercilessly. Ibrahim Zadran would likely be their only reliable asset early in the innings unless Rahmanullah Gurbaz takes a backflip and sprouts back to his destructive best.
Uganda do not have lethal spinners on board but what the team does have is the presence of seasoned players. There is a joke going around about how Frank Nsubuga is the vampire of T20I who got to play the World Cup 25 years after his debut. But experience is not all they have. The African team has a genius all-rounder in Alpesh Ramjani, who has rubbed his shoulders with the likes of Suryakumar Yadav. Riazat Ali Shah, Simon Ssesazi, and Dinesh Nakrani are phenoms with the bat and could make life hell for Afghanistan’s pacers, especially.
Head-to-Head Matches:
This will be the first-ever showdown between both teams where Afghanistan comes from a recent warm-up game win against Scotland and a series win against Ireland a few months ago.
Weather and Pitch Report:
During the WI v PNG game, the weather in Guyana was hot, humid and to everyone’s relief, dry. Dry is what it will again be but humidity would not take the backseat. With no true bounce in the pitch and moisture in the air, the deck will favour bowlers more. The side winning the toss would want to chase and a high-scoring game can definitely not be expected on the slow Providence pitches.
Prediction
The T20I format has a volatile nature that laughs in the face of any and every prediction made about it. However, if records and stats were to be given some veracity, Afghanistan would become the favorites to win the game.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the games on the following platforms as per your region:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
