T20 World Cup 2021: Strongest Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI against Namibia

Afghanistan took the game against Pakistan right down to the wire. This is now the third game (two ODIs, one in the Asia Cup 2018 and one in the World Cup 2019) when they have pushed and pushed Pakistan, but just failed to close the game.

However, their spirited show against Pakistan should make them more alert for the upcoming challenges. They are all set to face Namibia, who themselves have caused some surprises during this tournament.

Afghanistan, led by Mohammad Nabi, wouldn’t want to lose out on the opportunity to get two points as they still have a chance to stay in the race for qualification.

Having said that, here is the strongest XI which Afghanistan can put out against Namibia

1. Openers (Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad)

The two openers which Afghanistan has chosen for the big event have the ability to tear apart oppositions in the powerplay. They did get a good start against Scotland, but against Pakistan, both of them failed to get going.

Shahzad made eight before perishing while Zazai got a duck. Having them up top is like a double-edged sword in some ways. The two could blast away once again, given they will face a comparatively easier attack. 

2. Middle order (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran and Asghar Afghan)

There will be some concerns over the middle-order batting after how Pakistan put them in a very difficult position at one point. They had slipped to 76 for 6 in that match and it should play on their minds. Gurbaz scored 10, Afghan made 10 as well while Najibullah could only get as far as 22 runs. 

However, what works in their favour is the fact that Gurbaz made 45 in the match before and Najibullah scored a match-winning 59 as well. Afghan has been short of runs in recent times, but his skill and experience assure that he will come good at one point. Against Namibia, the middle order would hope for a good score and take it as an opportunity. 

3. All-rounders (Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, and Rashid Khan)

Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib put on a fantastic stand of 71 runs which helped Afghanistan get to a total with which they had a chance. Both made 35 runs each, with Naib batting with a better strike rate. Naib hasn’t really contributed with the ball in this tournament but at one point, his services will be required. 

Nabi also took one wicket in the previous match against Pakistan. However, he ended up conceding 36 runs in four overs which he would like to work on. Then, there is Rashid Khan, who puts performance after performance every match. He bowled a beautiful spell of 2 for 26 in his four overs in the previous match and Afghanistan would hope he continues his good form. 

4. Bowlers (Hamid Hassan, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman)

Karim Janat was sent slightly up the order in the previous match and he managed to score 15 runs from 17 balls. However, he remains the weakest link in their bowling unit. He went for 48 runs from his four overs against Pakistan.

With the amount of batting talent Afghanistan has, it wouldn’t be a bad call to get some pace in with someone like Hamid Hassan, who is waiting in the sheds. Naveen-ul-Haq has been really impressive with the ball and sometimes in the field as well.

In the previous match, he was able to deliver some good bowling performance at the death and also picked up a wicket. Mujeeb was excellent as well, giving just 14 runs from his four overs and getting a wicket inside the powerplay. He is expected to be fit and ready for the next challenge as well.