The preliminary qualifying round of the T20 World Cup 2022 concluded on Friday; on Saturday, the main round – Super 12 – will commence. Two matches of Group A teams will be played on Saturday: hosts Australia will take on New Zealand in the first game, followed by England facing Afghanistan in Perth.
England reached the semi-final last year, but now has a new skipper in Jos Buttler. They have already announced their contention with a T20I series win over hosts Australia and then defeated Pakistan in the warm-up game.
Afghanistan, who are touted to make an upset or two in this tournament, will play their first-ever T20I in Australia. So that’s a grand occasion for Mohammad Nabi’s team.
ENG vs AFG pitch report, date, and time
Venue: Perth Stadium, Perth
ENG vs AFG Pitch report
The Perth stadium has fairly long side boundaries but short straight boundaries. The average first innings score is around 165. There’s plenty of new ball movement and also bounce for fast bowlers with little to no assistance for spinners.
Date and Time: October 22, 4.30 PM IST
Telecast: Star Sports Network
ENG vs AFG Predicted playing XIs
England has added Tymal Mills to the squad replacing the injured Reece Topley; with his experience in Australian conditions and his death-overs specialty, Mills could be drafted straight into the XI.
England predicted playing XI
Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills/Chris Jordan, Mark Wood
Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh in their warm-up game and did well against Pakistan too with the bat before the game was washed out. They will once again bank on their spin-bowling strength and also their aggressive batsmen have been impressive this year. T20 globetrotter Qais Ahmad is also included in the squad but is unlikely to start in the eleven.
Afghanistan predicted XI
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
ENG vs AFG match prediction: England to win today’s match
England, who is one of the strong contenders to win the title, is expected to sweep Afghanistan aside.
Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, knowledge, and instinct of the writer. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.
