ODI World Cup 2023: Ranking teams based on squads

9. Afghanistan

Afghanistan have always tried to punch above their weight in big tournaments. They are coming off some decent results in the bilateral ODI and T20I series. They defeated a second-string Pakistan and Bangladesh, respectively. The Afghan Atalans are heavily dependent on their spin bowlers like Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi.

Batting-wise, they have potential in Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, and Nabi once again, but lack any big names in the middle order. It was evident from their two-run defeat against Sri Lanka in Asia Cup 2023. While their bowling did extremely well, the batting failed to come to the party and the Afghans lost a golden chance for Super 4s qualification. 

The top-order and the spin department will be the cornerstone of their campaign. Their middle order and pace attack is somewhat weaker against better oppositions. This might make the difference between misery and ecstasy for Afghanistan.