ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – England vs Afghanistan Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is England vs Afghanistan taking place? Tuesday 18th June – 10:30 (UK)
Where is England vs Afghanistan taking place? Old Trafford, Manchester
What is the expected weather for England vs Afghanistan? 17-18c with a small chance of showers late afternoon
What television channel is England vs Afghanistan on in the UK? Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream England vs Afghanistan? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for England vs Afghanistan? There are still tickets available for purchase on Stubhub.
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: England beat Afghanistan by 9 wickets (D/L method)
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
Coach: Trevor Bayliss
Captain: Eoin Morgan
- England come off an emphatic win over the West Indies on Friday as they bowled Jason Holder’s men out for just 212 and then knocked that off with relative ease thanks to Joe Root’s unbeaten century to make it three wins from four games.
- There were a couple of negatives from that match as Jason Roy damaged his hamstring which has caused him issues in the recent past and prevented him from fielding and then opening the innings, while skipper Eoin Morgan is struggling with back spasms.
- Roy is expected to face a spell on the sidelines while Morgan may not be risked here given the short turnaround in matches so Jos Buttler could skipper the side with James Vince and Moeen Ali coming into the side.
AFGHANISTAN
Coach: Phil Simmons
Captain: Gulbadin Naib
- Afghanistan remain firmly rooted to the bottom of the ladder after losing their opening four matches of the tournament so far and they come off another difficult encounter on Saturday when South Africa completely outclassed them in Cardiff.
- It was their batting once again that failed miserably as their batsmen from number three to number eight all failed to reach double figures as they fell to 125 all out, and the batting remains their major weakness as they continue to struggle to compete.
- They may consider one or two changes to the side once again for this match in a desperate attempt to change things around but it is unlikely that Mujeeb Ur Rahman will come back into the side given how well England played against him in the warm-up match.
THE PREDICTION
Afghanistan continue to struggle to compete at this level and that has largely been due to the pitches not favouring their spin trio and their batsmen being unable to cope with elite bowling attacks. They struggled against England in a warm-up match before the World Cup started and there is every chance this will be a repeat of that game. England are likely to be under-strength for this match but they will still have far too much quality for the Afghans and this should be a fourth win from their opening five games for England.
