ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – Afghanistan vs West Indies Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Afghanistan vs West Indies taking place? Thursday 4th July – 10:30 (UK)
Where is Afghanistan vs West Indies taking place? Headingley, Leeds
What is the expected weather for Afghanistan vs West Indies? 19-21c with sunshine and cloudy intervals
What television channel is Afghanistan vs West Indies on in the UK? Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream Afghanistan vs West Indies? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Afghanistan vs West Indies? Tickets for this match can still be purchased for as little as £25 on Stubhub!
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: Afghanistan beat West Indies by 7 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
AFGHANISTAN
Coach: Phil Simmons
Captain: Gulbadin Naib
- Afghanistan come into their final game of the 2019 Cricket World Cup desperate to get one win under their belts and they came ever so close to that on Saturday as Pakistan narrowly beat them by three wickets with just two balls to spare.
- Skipper Gulbadin Naib was heavily criticised for the decision to bring himself on for the 48th
over and he promptly was smashed for 18 runs which essentially won the game for Pakistan, although they were not helped by the injury to seamer Hamid Hassan who could only manage two overs.
- They will likely make the one change as Hamid Hassan is unlikely to figure here so Dawlat Zadran is likely to come back in for him but they will go with the rest of the team that came within a whisker of beating Pakistan, and they will hope Mujeeb, Nabi and Rashid Khan can spin them to victory.
WEST INDIES
Coach: Floyd Reifer
Captain: Jason Holder
- West Indies slipped to their fifth successive defeat on Monday in a depressing loss at the hands of Sri Lanka as they fell 23 runs short chasing 338/6 as their bowlers struggled to contain the average Sri Lankan batting order and despite Nicholas Pooran bringing them close to victory with a superb century, they ultimately fell short.
- The top order proved to be fragile once again with Shai Hope failing once again but it may be Sunil Ambris who pays the price for his poor innings as Evin Lewis or even Darren Bravo may return to the side to bolster the batting line-up.
- Shannon Gabriel came into the side against Sri Lanka and was expensive going for 46 runs from just five overs so Kemar Roach could return to the side here as the Windies may target short pitched bowling once again to unsettle their opponents.
THE PREDICTION
West Indies have endured a miserable 2019 Cricket World Cup campaign and they will be looking to end it on a high note against Afghanistan – the only team below them in the standings. Jason Holder’s men have had a difficult time against some of the other Asian teams with Sri Lanka, India and Bangladesh all beating them so far. Afghanistan have beaten them in three of their four previous completed matches and they will fancy their chances here. Their spin trio are playing extremely well right now and they can cause the Windies batsmen all kinds of problems and sign their campaign off with their first win.
