ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – Australia vs Afghanistan Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Australia vs Afghanistan taking place? Saturday 1st June – 13:30 (UK)
Where is Australia vs Afghanistan taking place? County Ground, Bristol
What is the expected weather for Australia vs Afghanistan? 22-24c with sunshine and cloudy intervals but no rain expected
What television channel is Australia vs Afghanistan on in the UK? Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream Australia vs Afghanistan? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Australia vs Afghanistan? https://tickets.cricketworldcup.com/showProduct.html?idProduct=399
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: Australia beat Afghanistan by 275 runs
THE TEAM NEWS
AUSTRALIA
Coach: Justin Langer
Captain: Aaron Finch
- Australia come into this World Cup opener full of confidence after having won their last eight ODI matches and the win over England in the warm-up match last week will ensure they are in buoyant mood ahead of the tournament.
- They start their campaign against Afghanistan in a match that they will be fully expected to win especially having won their previous two ODI meetings – the last of which came in the last World Cup in Perth where they batted first and reached 417 as David Warner smashed the Afghan bowlers to all parts of the ground.
- With this being the opening match for Aaron Finch’s men, they are likely to play their strongest team to ensure they get off to a successful start and that will mean the likes of Cummins and Starc both playing and getting some overs in their legs.
AFGHANISTAN
Coach: Phil Simmons
Captain: Gulbadin Naib
- Afghanistan could not have wished for a harder start to the tournament as they face the holders and they will have to bounce back from the mauling they received at the hands of hosts England in their final warm-up match.
- That defeat to England exposed some of their weaknesses with the bat against pace bowling and they will have to do much better to withstand the Aussie bowling attack who will almost certain target early wickets and some short balls to test the Afghan top order.
- Mohammad Shahzad missed that game with a hamstring strain but he should be fit to take his place at the top of the order alongside Hazratullah Zazai and behind the stumps and the openers will be as key to their hopes if they can get off to a good start.
THE PREDICTION
Australia have been afforded the luxury of facing one of the weaker teams in the tournament in their opening match but they will guard against complacency. Aaron Finch’s men will be determined to ensure there are no red faces and that will see them name their strongest line-up. Afghanistan will have to be at their best with both bat and ball to compete here and the key will be whether their batsmen can stand up to the impressive Aussie bowling unit. Ultimately, it is difficult to see them scoring much more than 200-250 whether batting first or second, and Australia should outclass them here.
