CWC 2023: England look to build on momentum, take on struggling Afghanistan

Defending champions England's campaign started on a disappointing note as they lost by nine wickets against New Zealand in the tournament opener in Ahmedabad on October 5

New Delhi: Their campaign back on track after the humiliating loss in the opener, title holders England would look for a dominating all-round effort against a battered Afghanistan in the World Cup here on Sunday, with eyes firmly set on bettering their net run rate.

Defending champions England’s campaign started on a disappointing note as they lost by nine wickets against New Zealand in the tournament opener in Ahmedabad on October 5. But the Jos Buttler-led side bounced back in style, humbling Bangladesh by 137 runs in Dharamsala on Tuesday.

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Despite putting up a competitive 282 for nine in the opener at a batting-friendly Narendra Modi Stadium pitch, England bowlers were taken to the cleaners by Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra as New Zealand romped home in 36.2 overs.

But England made a superb comeback in their next match with both the batting and bowling departments clicking in unison. It was not the batting unit which was the cause for concern for England against New Zealand, but their bowling, comprising Chris Woakes, Mark Wood, Sam Curran, Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid, which looked ordinary when Conway and Ravindra batted.

But in their next match against Bangladesh, England showed their might with a clinical performance. Opening the batting, Dawid Malan smashed 140 off 107 balls, while Joe Root continued his fine form with consecutive half-centuries. Jonny Bairstow too contributed a valuable 50 up the order.

They would be banking on another good start from their openers to post a massive total on a flat pitch at the relatively smaller Arun Jaitley Stadium that has witnessed huge scores in all the matches it has hosted so far in the tournament. Besides, skipper Buttler, Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone would also want to mark their arrival in the tournament with substantial contributions in the middle-order.

England’s decision to replace an ineffective Moeen Ali with Reece Topley paid rich dividends against Bangladesh as the left-arm pacer inspired the bowling attack with figures of 4/43 from his 10 overs. Woakes, Wood, Curran and Rashid all returned to form and, not just were they economical, they also picked up wickets.

England would look for a repeat performance from its players. England would not just look for a victory against Afghanistan but would also want to win the match handsomely to boost their net run rate (NRR), which took a beating in their opener.

The Afghans, on the other hand, are low on confidence after successive defeats. Dark-horses Afghanistan lost by six wickets against Bangladesh before they were thrashed by hosts India by eight wickets. Come Sunday, they would look for a reversal and cause the first upset of the tournament.

But it is easier said than done. Afghanistan’s concern lies in all departments of their game. In their first outing against Bangladesh, the batters faltered, making a below-par 156. Then, against a batting-heavy India, the bowling attack fumbled despite posting a competitive 272 for eight.

Afghanistan’s main concern is the performance of their openers. In the two matches they have played so far, both the openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, have failed to provide a decent start, which resulted in the team’s downfall.

After a below-par show in their opener, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai rose to the occasion with half-centuries to post a decent total on the board against India. But Shahidi would desperately want his openers to take the responsibility upfront.