Monde - ICC Champions Trophy
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by Ian John | in ICC Champions Trophy Predictions
The ICC Champions Trophy continues this Wednesday as Afghanistan face England in a match where the loser will almost certainly be eliminated from the tournament. The Afghan Atalans are hoping for a second successive ODI victory over the Three Lions following on from their World Cup win in 2023. Here’s our match prediction.
With both teams occupying the third and fourth spots in Group B, a win is imperative for either team if they wish to remain in the mix for a place in the semi-finals. Given the relative strength of the teams in Group B both Afghanistan and England will view this game as their best chance to land a victory.
The winner of this match will go into their final Group game knowing they need to win again to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals, where either New Zealand or India, most likely, will lie in wait. But first, a victory in this match is crucial for both teams to make their final group game relevant.
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Afghanistan - England: Form Analysis
Afghanistan start this game bottom of Group B after losing by 107 runs against South Africa. They under-performed with the bat, scoring just 208 from 43.3 overs against a strong South African team.
Despite that, and their relatively long odds from the bookmakers, Afghanistan do have real hope. They have won each of their last three one-day series, beating Zimbabwe, Bangladesh and, most impressively, South Africa.
They also have the confidence from beating England when the teams last played in the Group Stages of the 2023 ICC World Cup. That was their first-ever victory over the Three Lions in a ODI, after England had won the two previous.
England are third in Group B, despite setting Australia a record run-chase after scoring 351 in their opener.
England’s bowling attack could not take wickets.
As a result of that poor bowling display and some fine battling Australia cruised to a five-wicket win with 15 balls remaining.
It is a worry for Three Lions fans as England have won just one of their last eight One Day International games and have lost all of their last five, including a 3-0 hammering by India in three warm-up games on the eve of the tournament.
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Afghanistan & England Squad Analysis
Both Afghanistan and England have full-strength squads to pick from for this crucial Group B match in Lahore. As such, neither team is likely to make any changes to their eleven for this game.
However, both teams have areas where they need improve.
For Afghanistan, this is their batting which was surprisingly poor against Australia. Only Rahmat Shah, who hit 90, scored more than 19 runs as their other players struggled in the face of South Africa’s excellent bowling attack.
More will be expected of openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Shahidi was bowled for a duck against South Africa.
For England, the opposite is true. The Three Lions put on a superb batting display against Australia, with Ben Duckett scoring a majestic 165. It should have been enough for the win, but a dismal bowling effort saw just five Australian wickets taken and only Adel Rashid’s 1/47 being anywhere near acceptable figures at this level.
Much more will be expected, and needed, from Mark Wood, Brydon Carse and Jofra Archer against Afghanistan if England are to win this game.
Afghanistan - England Key Points
- Afghanistan have won their last three ODI series against South Africa, Bangladesh and Zimbabwe.
- England have lost seven of their last eight ODI games.
- Afghanistan won the ICC World Cup clash between the teams in 2023.
- Afghanistan trail 2-1 in ODI games against England, but did win the last ODI encounter between the teams.
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Our Afghanistan vs England Prediction
Our prediction for the Afghanistan vs. England Champions Trophy match is: Afghanistan wins the match.
The bookmakers have England as the hot favorites in this game. The data suggests otherwise. England's one-day form is dreadful heading into this match and their attack looked toothless against Australia. Afghanistan beat England when they last played in a one-day game at the World Cup and are in good form despite the loss to South Africa. There's no real data to suggest an England win here, so were backing Afghanistan to cause an upset.
Afghanistan vs England - Other Interesting Predictions
Top Home Bowler - Rashid Khan (Afghanistan)
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Afghanistan vs England match : Frequently asked questions
All tips are fully researched and given in good faith, but profits cannot be guaranteed.
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