T20 World Cup 2022: Match 14- Predicted England Playing XI vs Afghanistan

England will begin their ICC T20 World Cup  2022 campaign against Afghanistan at the Perth Stadium on Saturday, October 22. The Three Lions would be oozing with confidence having registered a convincing 2-0 victory in the three-match bilateral T20I series that had preceded the ongoing marquee tournament against the reigning world champions Australia. 

The English team also impressed one and all in the warm-up fixture with a six-wicket victory over Pakistan. It needs to be noted that England will be heading into this showpiece event on the back of two consecutive away T20I bilateral series wins. Prior to defeating Australia down under, the Three Lions succeeded in registering a 4-3 win on Pakistan soil against the Asia Cup 2022 finalists.

Meanwhile, all is not perfect for England as they get set to play their tournament opener against the Afghans as they have got two major injury concers. After star batter Jonny Bairstow was already ruled out with a broken leg, the 2010 champions have not lost premier pacer Reece Topley due to an ankle injury and he has been replaced by Tymal Mills. Without further a do, here's a look at-

England's playing XI against Afghanistan for second Super 12 match of T20 World Cup

Openers: Jos Buttler (c) and Alex Hales

Jos Buttler witnessed a slump in form during the home series against India and South Africa and did not play in the Pakistan T20Is as he was nursing an injury. However, he roared back to form just at the right time during the T20I series against Australia where he amassed 168 runs in three matches including two half-centuries.

Alex Hales has been drafted into the squad due to Jonny Bairstow's unavailability and he would be looking to prove a point in this T20 World Cup. The explosive opener can be unstoppable once he gets going and has played some impressive knocks in the series against Pakistan and Australia. Moreover, Hales is well accustomed to the conditions down under having played the Big Bash League (BBL).

Middle-Order: Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, and Liam Livingstone

Dawid Malan has been one of England's most reliable middle-order batters in the last couple of years and has played impactful as well as match-winning knocks on a few occasions. He currently occupies the sixth position in ICC T20I Rankings for batters.

Harry Brook was very impressive in the Pakistan T20Is last month where he went on to score an unbeaten 46 runs off 29 balls in the series-deciding seventh match. While Brook did not fire in the subsequent Australia series, he made a strong statement with an unbeaten 24-ball 45 in the warm-up encounter against Pakistan.

Liam Livingstone is known for his aggressive power-hitting and the ability to play match-defining knocks in the middle order. He did not play in the Australia series, but would now be hoping to take the Afghan bowlers to the cleaners in the upcoming encounter.

All-Rounders: Ben Stokes and Moeen Ali

Ben Stokes had scored a quickfire 18-ball 36 in the warm-up game against Pakistan and also picked up the wicket of Haider Ali. He failed to be among the runs and could only manage a solitary scalp in the Australia series and now, the southpaw would be looking forward to making amends against Afghanistan.

Moeen Ali is another key all-rounder in the English side who is capable of his middle-order batting exploits and chipping in with handy wickets with his spin bowling. He scored a 27-ball 44 in the all-important second T20I against the Aussies that set up a series win for the Three Lions.

Bowlers: Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills and Mark Wood

Chris Jordan would be expected to come out all guns blazing with the ball in hand. The Barbadian cricketer who is also England's highest wicket-taker in the shortest format would be looking forward to keep the batters guessing in the death overs. Apart from that, Jordan also has a vast experience of playing in the Big Bash League and knows the conditions really well.

Adil Rashid would be hoping to make the ball talk in the middle overs and bamboozle the famed Afghan batting line-up with is leg-spin. He is also one of the players to watch out for from England.

Tymal Mills has got a huge responsibility on his shoulders as he replaces the in-form Reece Topley for this competition. Mills has been a seasoned performer for the Three Lions and he just like Chris Jordan is also well aware of the Australian conditions.

Mark Wood might be preferred over Chris Woakes for this clash as he has been on a roll with the ball in hand having performed consistently in the previous two T20I series against Pakistan and Australia. His three-wicket haul in the second game against the Aussies set up a series win for the Three Lions. 

England Predicted XI:

Jos Buttler (c & wk), Alex Hales, Dawid Malan, Harry Brook, Liam Livingstone, Ben Stokes, Moeen Ali, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Tymal Mills, Mark Wood