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England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup Tips - Defending champs to continue their rise

By Siddhu Bharadwaj

13 Oct 2023

Siddhu Bharadwaj 13 Oct 2023

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England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup predictions to be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday afternoon, Indian time
England posted the highest o/p in 8 of their last 12 ODIs
Afghanistan conceded the highest o/p in 4 of their last 5 ODIs

Can England continue their winning run? (Getty Images)

England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup

England will look for a second win on the trot to get their World Cup defence on track when they take on Afghanistan. This ICC World Cup 2023 match #13 will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on Sunday, October 15.

England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup
Head to Head
England Form
England Team News
Afghanistan Form
Afghanistan Team News

It’s no secret that England were hurt with their poor game against New Zealand where they were comprehensively beaten. They can now dispel any doubts about their prospects with another win over Afghanistan. While there’s not much value in backing England here, I am putting my money on the Three Lions starting well. Back England to post the highest opening partnership.

England have posted the highest o/p score in 8 of their last 12 matches (ODIs)
England have posted the highest o/p score in their 2 matches against Afghanistan (ODIs)
Afghanistan have conceded the highest o/p score in 4 of their last 5 matches (ODIs)
Afghanistan have conceded the highest o/p score in 2 of their last 3 World Cup games (ODIs)

Head to Head

England have played Afghanistan in two ODIs so far winning both matches. Both those matches were played in the World Cup, winning in the 2015 edition by nine wickets and in the 2019 edition by 150 runs.

England Form

England are 5th in the points table after two matches, with one win and one loss and a positive NRR of 0.553. They have lost to New Zealand by nine wickets before winning against Bangladesh by 137 runs.

The defending champions will once again look at Joe Root to shore their batting, having scored fifties in both their matches so far. That aside, Dawid Malan has sparkled in the last game and looks set to continue that form.

Bowling is of slight worry, as only Reece Topley’s four-wicket haul against Bangladesh being the highlight. Otherwise, with Chris Woakes and Sam Curran conceding at nearly or above seven runs per over, it is problems galore for England.

England Team News

England could look to recall Moeen Ali in place of the misfiring Chris Woakes. They could even look at integrating Ben Stokes, if he’s fit.

Afghanistan Form

Afghanistan are 10th in the points tally with zero points and the worst NRR of all teams – negative 1.907. They lost to Bangladesh by six wickets and to India by eight wickets.

The Afghans haven’t really picked up pace with their bat scoring only 156 and 272 in their two matches. Only Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai scored fifties in the tournament for Afghanistan.

The bigger worry is their bowling where their main weapons – spinners – have struggled to hold forte. Rashid Khan’s two wickets have come at an ER of 6.17 while Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s zero wickets have come at 6.26 runs per over.

Afghanistan Team News

Afghanistan played both matches with the same team and may look to change the combination here to freshen up things. Spinner Noor Ahmad could add a bit more spice in place of the faltering Mujeeb.

England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup FAQs

Where can I watch the England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup live stream?

Our live streaming calendar shows you where to watch the England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup live stream.

What time does England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup start?

This England vs Afghanistan ODI World Cup will be played at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi on October 15, Sunday starting at 2:00 pm IST.

Verdict

England have already received a shock in their first match of the tournament, but their record against Afghanistan rules another poor result out of the way. I am backing the English openers to start well here, and putting money on them scoring the highest opening partnership score.