Match Preview: Afghanistan vs Australia, ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 39th Match

As the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 intensifies, Australia faces a resurgent Afghanistan, challenging the narrative of past meetings. With the Aussies looking to extend their five-match winning streak and Afghanistan seeking a seminal semi-final berth, this 39th match at Mumbai’s high-scoring Wankhede Stadium is set to be a strategic showdown, where history meets the hunger for new cricketing milestones.

Venue Insights

At Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, the pitch is advantageous for pace bowlers initially, particularly for those who can swing the ball. As the match progresses, spinners too find their rhythm. Batters who exhibit patience and good timing can score heavily. These dynamics suggest that the team winning the toss may prefer to bowl first to make the most of the favourable conditions early in the game.

Form Guide - Afghanistan

Afghanistan approaches the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 with an impressive recent form of WWWLW. They have demonstrated their rising cricketing prowess by defeating strong teams like England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and the Netherlands, showing that they are a force to be reckoned with. The spin quartet of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmad has been particularly effective, ready to exploit Australia's known vulnerability against spin. This was nearly demonstrated in the 2022 T20 World Cup, where despite a different format, the pace duo of Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi caused significant problems for Australia.

However, the upcoming match will be played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium, a venue with high-scoring games and historically less influence from spin, which might challenge Afghanistan's strategy. Nonetheless, the team is motivated by more than just cricketing success; political decisions, such as Cricket Australia's cancellation of a Test and ODI series, have added an extra layer of determination for Afghanistan to make a statement about their standing in international cricket.

Form Guide - Australia

Australia heads into the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 clash with Afghanistan boasting an enviable form of WWWWW. Their record against Afghanistan in World Cups has been stellar, with overwhelming victories in their past encounters. In the 2015 World Cup, held in Perth, they set a towering score of 417 for 6, thanks to David Warner's explosive innings of 178, leading them to a 275-run win. They continued their dominance in the 2019 World Cup in Bristol, where they comfortably beat Afghanistan by seven wickets, having 91 balls to spare, after bowling them out for 207 — a match where Warner again shined brightly, scoring an unbeaten 89.

Despite these historical achievements, the Australians are aware of the evolving threat posed by Afghanistan, especially given their opponent's recent successes and formidable spin attack. With the Wankhede Stadium's pitch likely to favour their batting strengths and considering the reduced impact of spin at the venue, Australia will be looking to capitalize while also being cautious of Afghanistan's desire to prove their standing in global cricket.

Players to Watch

Rashid Khan

For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan has had a subdued World Cup campaign by his standards, with only one three-wicket haul, which came against England. Although he has accumulated seven wickets, his average of 43.85 and a strike rate of 57 are uncharacteristic for a bowler of his calibre, indicating that he has struggled to deliver decisive blows. Nonetheless, Rashid continues to apply pressure, maintaining an economical rate of 4.61 runs per over. Despite his intimate familiarity with the Australian batsmen through the Big Bash League, which might reduce his element of surprise, Rashid’s expertise cannot be entirely negated.