Australia will lock horns with Afghanistan in their last T20 World Cup 2022 Super 12 fixture at the Adelaide Oval on Friday, November 4. This is a must-win game for the defending champions, and that too with a big margin to improve their net run rate to raise any hope of reaching the semi-finals. Even if Australia manages to accomplish this, their fate depends on the result of England’s match against Sri Lanka on Saturday.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, have nothing to lose and can become a party spoiler for the hosts. They are the only team without a win in the tournament; therefore, the Afghan side will be looking to end their World Cup campaign with a memorable win.
Pitch and Weather report:
New Zealand will face Ireland on this pitch, despite that it should be a good batting surface. Fans can expect a full 40-overs contest as there is no rain forecast on Friday.
Probable XIs:
Australia: Aaron Finch (c)/Cameron Green, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Waade (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Gulabadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarazi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Recent form:
Australia: WWLLL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Afghanistan: LLLLL
What they said:
“Our first game has put us in this situation. We knew for the rest of the tournament that it was going to come down to run rate. We need to get the two points,” said Australia captain Aaron Finch ahead of the match.
“Not an easy game for us to play against Australia in Australian conditions, but we are here to give them a tough time. They will be under pressure because they want to win, and we are here to finish the tournament with high morale,” said Afghanistan assistant coach Rais Ahmadzai.
