3 things that make Afghanistan a dangerous team in 2023 World Cup
Afghanistan's second-ever ODI World Cup victory, and their first in the 2023 edition, was orchestrated by the outstanding performances of their spin duo Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan, supported by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, and Mohammad Nabi.
A spirited performance by the side tripped England, who found themselves in a constant chase throughout the match, ultimately being bowled out for 215 chasing 284. Only Harry Brook offered some fight and resistance on a pitch that assisted the spinners.
England's second defeat in three games has introduced a significant level of competition at an early stage in the tournament. This was also the first time England lost eight wickets to spin in a World Cup match.
Here we take a look at three things that make Afghanistan a dangerous team in 2023 World Cup:
#3 A long batting order
At one stage against England, Afghanistan were flying at 114 for 0, but then the spinners stepped in and triggered a collapse. When Mohammad Nabi departed, the score read 190 for 6 and all the hard work done by the openers looked to be going to waste.
However, this is when Rashid Khan and Ikram Alikhil got together and pulled their side out of the hole. They added 43 runs for the seventh wicket at a good clip. It was then followed by a 44-run partnership between Ikram and Mujeeb. This showed Afghanistan’s depth and the ability of the lower order to step up and add runs.
#2 Powerful top order
Afghanistan signaled their intent early with a fearless exhibition of power-hitting courtesy of 21-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz. His impressive innings of 80 runs from 57 balls held the promise of even greater achievements until he was unfortunately run out.
Top-order batting has been Afghanistan’s strength so far in this World Cup. Against Sri Lanka, the first couple of wickets added 83 while against India, their captain Hashmatulah Shahidi took control of the innings at number four. The top-four batters added 184 runs and this trend continued against England.
While the middle order still needs to come to terms with ODI cricket, their top order has been extremely consistent and on true batting surfaces, they can run away with the match in the first 20 overs.
#1 Well-rounded spin bowling attack
This was the first match this World Cup where England faced a significant challenge from the spin bowlers. And they fell short as eight of their batters were taken down by the spinners – Mujeeb, Rashid, and Mohammad Nabi.
This marked a record low for England in men's ODI World Cup games, surpassing their previous records of losing seven wickets to spinners against South Africa in Chennai and against Bangladesh in Chattogram during the 2011 edition.
To break down the spinners' performance, England's spinners bowled 24 overs, conceding 94 runs while taking five wickets, and an economy rate of 3.92. In contrast, Afghanistan's spinners sent down 25.3 overs, gave away 104 runs and captured eight wickets, with an economy rate of 4.11.
This stark contrast in spin bowling statistics played a pivotal role in the outcome of the match. And this is where Afghanistan can really come into their own as the pitches tire and the conditions get drier.