Afghanistan vs England Betting Tips – England Slightly Ahead In Must-Win Clash

Two teams coming off a loss in their opening encounter will face each other in a must-win clash from Lahore on Wednesday as Afghanistan go up against England. Afghanistan were no match for South Africa in their opener while England pushed Australia all the way but still ended up well short in batting-friendly conditions in Lahore.

Both these teams will go into this fixture knowing that any slip up now will plausibly result in the end of their tournament. England will start as favourites, particularly at a venue that would suit their aggressive form of batting. They will be well aware, however, that Afghanistan are known for their own aggression, particularly on pitches that can take a bit of turn and bounce.

After their demoralising defeat to South Africa, Afghanistan’s net run rate has taken a heavy beating, which could severely impact them if they are to challenge in Group B. The first step, though, would be to beat England to then apply some pressure on Australia in their final fixture of the group stage.

Afghanistan Form

Afghanistan were comprehensively beaten in their group opener after conceding 315 for 6 against South Africa. In response, Afghanistan’s batters could find no momentum or rhythm as they were bowled out for 208.

Rahmat Shah fought with 90 off 92 balls but no other batter could cross 20 in a disappointing batting performance on a decent pitch for batting. If Afghanistan are to stand a chance against England, they will need their batters to stand up and carry them over 300 on a ground where more than 350 was chased in the previous match.

Bowling wise, South Africa were shrewd in how they tackled Afghanistan’s spinners. Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad bowled 29 overs and were taken for 175 runs with three wickets. That helped South Africa dominate the middle overs en route to a challenging total.

Afghanistan Team News

In terms of team news, you would expect Afghanistan to stick to their main core of players for this England game. Afghanistan could even play the same XI as the South Africa game.

England Form

England will be left with what-ifs after their opener against Australia. Ben Duckett played one of his best innings as his 165 carried England to 351 for 8. Joe Root contributed with a handy 68 off 78 balls to stabilise the middle overs.

While the push didn’t exactly come in the end overs with wickets falling, England could only muster 71 off the last 9 overs. In the end, that was the difference as Australia chased down the total with 15 balls to spare.

Still, England can take plenty of confidence away from that performance after a sub-par tour of India in the lead-up to this tournament. Conditions in Lahore will suit a team that likes to go hard in the middle overs as is the case with England but that also brings in Afghanistan’s spinners, which could make for compelling viewing.

England Team News

With the tournament on the line, England are unlikely to make too many changes to their team either.