World Cup: Stern English test awaits Afghanan | Cricket-world-cup News

One swallow doesn’t make a summer, and a convincing win over Bangladesh doesn’t necessarily mean England are back to their best. These are alien conditions for the defending champions and they would be better advised not to take anything for granted, even if it’s a game against Afghanan on a Kotla pitch predicted to be a belter.England are one of the fancied sides in the World Cup, though there may be some whispers of it being a Dad’s Army, with more than a few survivors from the successful 2019 campaign. Add to it the uncertainty surrounding their talisman Ben Stokes and they can’t afford to put a foot wrong. Having lost their opener against New Zealand – it was a mauling, in fact – the margin of error from them has gone down, even if it’s still early days in the competition.
For a team based on taking no prisoners with the bat, it’s actually the calmness that Dawid Malan – who scored a ton against Bangladesh – and Joe Root bring that could be the deciding factor. Not that the duo scores slowly, but their consency is what makes them different. Barring Root, who carried on to play a substantial innings against the Kiwis, they were much better against Bangladesh at Dharamsala, even though they would have hoped to finish the innings in a much better fashion.

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— England Cricket (@englandcricket) October 14, 2023
Dashers Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone are yet to come to the party, meaning it’s often the likes of Sam Curran and Chris Woakes in the middle during the death overs. Brook’s low returns have put the spotlight on the prospects of Stokes making a comeback to the playing XI. Root didn’t end the suspense regarding the left-hander when he addressed the media on the eve of the game.
“Bency (Stokes) is getting better day day. He trained really well last night. He had a long bat and seems to be improving. So all good signs ahead of tomorrow,” he said.
“He has just got to be ready to play. You all know a team with Ben (Stokes) in it is a bit stronger, but he has got to be fit to play. We’ll see whether it’s tomorrow or the next game or further down the line.”

The last time Stokes played for England, he got the highest individual ODI score for his country. But it remains to be seen if the time he spent out of action will have any bearing on him. Going past record, Stokes will be ready to go whenever he comes back.
Rashid’s weaker format?
When these two teams played at the last World Cup at Old Trafford, Eoin Morgan got on a six-hitting spree in a big hundred, taking, among others, Rashid Khan to the cleaners. The star spinner is not as effective in the 50-over format as he is in the 20-over one, and the Kotla pitch and the small ground might play into the hands of the big hitters in the England line-up.
In any case, Rashid’s bowling is likely to make a difference only if Afghanan make a decent f of it with the bat. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai got runs and a century partnership against India, but the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmat Shah can’t afford to stay without runs for too long, if they are to avoid a third successive defeat in the tournament.
Root, for one, is not underestimating Sunday’s opposition, especially after having a 1-1 record after two games.

“Every team in this tournament poses different threats, you just have to be ready and adaptable to combat that. They (Afghanan) obviously have got some world-class players. From my point of view we need to keep getting better,” the star batsman said.
“This is another opportunity for us to keep building the momentum and progression towards the business end of the tournament and making sure that we are where we need to be at the backend of the tournament.”

pic.twitter.com/W8Ytdh8dcz
— Afghanan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) October 14, 2023
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“I do enjoy playing cricket here in India. I think it suits my game quite nicely. With the World Cup round the corner, you try to find a way to be in a position where you want to be,” Root said.
“When you come into the tournament, this is where you need to stand up and deliver. So it’s nice to contribute in the first couple of games. Hopefully look to carry that forward, not just individually but collectively as a group.”

With the ball, England will be particularly buoyed the performance of tall left-arm paceman Reece Topley, who rocked the Bangladesh chase with three early wickets. Woakes can make an impact early on with the new ball but can go the journey later on when the ball stops swinging. The spin duo of Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid may not find conditions in their favour, which puts Curran in the spotlight. He is an impact player and often makes things happen, both with bat and ball.