ICC World Cup 2019: Match 24, England vs Afghanistan – Statistical Preview

Afghanistan have been far from being at their best in this World Cup especially due to their inconsistent middle-order. The openers have given them decent starts but the Afghans have repeatedly collapsed after the fall of the first wicket. Their bowlers have been impressive in short spell despite not getting favourable tracks. They will be up against England in Manchester where a defeat could rule the Afghans out of the tournament. The hosts England have won three of their four games and are placed at No.4.

All the key stats and numbers ahead of Afghanistan’s do-or-die fixture against England:

3 – England and Afghanistan faced off on three instances in International cricket with the English side winning in all three. England bundled out Afghanistan to 80 after posting 196 in the 2012 World T20 game and won the 2015 CWC fixture by 9 wickets which was affected by rain. Afghanistan restricted England to 142/7 in the 2016 WT20 game but finished 16 runs short of the target.

4 – Afghanistan’s ongoing 4-match losing streak is their joint-longest in the ODI format. They lost four in a row in 2015 but never suffered defeat in five successive ODIs. Afghanistan now have lost each of their last seven games in the World Cup as they lost in their last three games of the 2015 edition.

8 – England won eight of the ten ODI matches they played at the Old Trafford in Manchester since 2007. Their two defeats at this venue in this span were against Australia.

36.25 – Afghanistan has shared 36.25 runs per stand for the 1st and 6th wickets in this World Cup. They have added 290 runs with three 50+ partnerships in these four games for 1st and 6th wickets. However, for the remaining eight wickets, they collectively put on 366 runs at an average of mere 11.43 runs with one fifty-run stand.

13.5 – Moeen Ali has a bowling average of 13.5 in the ODI format at the Old Trafford. In four ODIs at this venue, Moeen picked up eight wickets in the 24.4 overs he bowled including a 4-wicket haul.

32.3 – Rashid Khan’s ODI bowling average of 32.3 in 2019 is the lowest for him in a calendar year. The leg-spinner bagged ten wickets in nine innings he bowled in the ODI format this year with the best figures of 2/17.

185 – Jos Buttler has scored 185 runs across two ODI innings in Manchester. He scored 75 in an unsuccessful chase against Australia in 2013 and an unbeaten 110 also against the Aussies last year which they won by a 1-wicket margin.

291 – Najibullah Zadran has scored 291 runs in 8 ODI innings in 2019 at an average of 58.20 with a century and two fifties. Najib batted at No.7 in all those eight innings and was Afghanistan’s top scorer on three occasions.

His 291 runs are the 2nd most by an Afghan player in 2019 ODIs and his 98 runs in this World Cup makes him the team’s leading run-getter in this tournament. However, he was dropped from their previous game against South Africa.