AUS vs AFG, ODI World Cup: High-flying Afghanistan gears up for Australian challenge in crucial encounter
The HinduAn intense battle awaits when Australia and Afghanistan meet in a tournament-defining fixture at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday. While a solitary win from its remaining two fixtures will seal a semifinal berth for Australia, Afghanistan, too, stands a chance if it wins the next two outings and betters its Net Run Rate. In its previous three ODI outings against Australia - including two in World Cups - Afghanistan lost on every occasion. The previous three fixtures at Wankhede have witnessed 350-plus totals by teams batting first, and keeping that in mind, Australia will count on its seasoned opener, David Warner, to fire. “They are quality bowlers, and they’ve got some batters, particularly at the top of the order, that are taking the game on and can take it away from you…” The top-three Afghan batters — Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rahmat Shah and Ibrahim Zadran — have amassed 730 runs in seven outings.