On 7th November 2023, Australia and Afghanistan will face off in Match 39 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. It is an important fixture for both sides. The Match is at Wankhede Mumbai. Following is the Australia vs Afghanistan Preview of Match 39 of the World Cup.
Australia vs Afghanistan Today Match Preview
Afghanistan need to win this game in order to strengthen their case for the semi-final. They have 8 points in 7 games. If they win, they will have 10 points and then if they win their last game too, their qualification will be guaranteed. However, beating the Mighty Aussies will require some Herculean effort.
Aussies have a similar situation too. If they win this game, their ticket to semi-final will be confirmed as they currently have 10 points. But, if they lose, then they will have to wait for their final game as well.
Australia are currently on a winning spree. They have won 5 back to back matches in the World Cup. Afghanistan on the other hand are on a winning streak of 3 matches. So both sides will be high on confidence and will look to win this game.
Mumbai is a high scoring ground and batting first is a perfect choice here. Whoever bats first will have the edge. Afghanistan should pray that toss goes their way otherwise Australian batting will be too much for them to handle. With very little assistance for spinners at Mumbai, it would indeed be tough for Afghanistan to win this game as spin is their main strength. Australia would be the favorites to win here.
Australia Expected Playing XI
Mitchell Marsh is back in India and Glenn Maxwell is also fit to go. Cameron Green and Marcus Stoinis are likely to sit out in this game.
Probable XI: 1 David Warner, 2 Travis Head, 3 Mitchell Marsh, 4 Steven Smith, 5 Marnus Labuschagne, 6 Josh Inglis (wk), 7 Glenn Maxwell, 8 Pat Cummins (C), 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Josh Hazlewood
Afghanistan Expected Playing XI
Afghanistan will leave out Noor Ahmad here and will probably look to have Naveen-ul-Haq back because of lack of assistance for the spinners.
Probable XI: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai, 6 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 7 Mohammad Nabi, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Australia vs Afghanistan Head to Head Record
In World Cup history, these 2 sides have faced only twice with Australia winning on both occasions. Overall these two sides have clashed thrice in ODI cricket with Australia winning all 3 matches.
Players to watch-out for
Afghanistan’s batting order has been in tremendous form. Skipper Hashmatulla Shahidi averages 57 with the bat in last 10 ODI matches. Rahmat Shah and the openers are also in good rhythm and they all have to bat well if Afghanistan have to register a win against Australia.
Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman also have 10 wickets each in last 10 ODIs. They will be a threat for the Aussie batsmen.
David Warner, Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head are in some explosive form. This trio has been so good for the Aussies and the Afghan bowlers will have nightmares if they don’t get them out quickly.
With the ball, Adam Zampa is amongst the tip wicket takers of the event. Zampa has 22 wickets in his last 9 ODI matches and his spin magic can rip through the Afghan batting line.
Australia vs Afghanistan Toss Prediction
The toss is likely to go Australia’s way and they will opt to bat.
Afghanistan vs Australia Match Prediction
Australia is 70 percent favorite to win this game.
