England wins toss and opts to bowl against Afghanistan in Cricket World Cup

Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler won his first toss in three games as England opted to field against Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup on Sunday.

The defending champions have one win from two games, after beating Bangladesh by 137 runs in Dharamsala. England had lost to New Zealand by nine wickets in its opening game, and is placed fifth in the standings with two points.

Afghanistan is tenth and last in the table, having lost both its opening games against Bangladesh and hosts India by considerable margins.

Batting continues to be the weak point for Afghanistan in this World Cup. It scored only 156 runs in the first game, albeit putting up a better showing against India when it scored 272-8. But it was a below-par score for a batting track against the Indian attack.

There have been question marks over the lack of success for ace spinner Rashid Khan thus far in tournament, where he has managed to pick up only two wickets while conceding in excess of 100 runs in two games.

Khan also doesn’t have happy memories of facing England in World Cups. In 2019, he returned figures of 0-110 in nine overs as the hosts blasted 25 sixes in the game.

Afghanistan has made one change – spinner Mujeeb ur Rehman is out while batsman Ikram Alikhil gets a chance – a move aimed at bolstering the batting.

Spin all-rounder and veteran Mohammad Nabi plays his 150th ODI for Afghanistan.

England fielded an unchanged side from its win against Bangladesh, with fast bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes recovering from a stomach bug. Star batsman Ben Stokes continues to miss out owing to a hip niggle.

The pitch at the Arun Jaitley Stadium is the best batting surface in the tournament thus far. It should continue to aid batsmen, with dew in the evening further bolstering their advantage.

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Teams:

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley.

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi. ___