Afghanistan vs Namibia Prediction: Who will win today's T20 World Cup 2021 match?
Not long ago, Namibia were staring down the barrel against Ireland in their final first-round game of the 2021 T20 World Cup. The Eagles had had a poor powerplay, and despite a sub-par total being in front of them, they needed something special to make the Super 12 stage for the first time in their history.
Namibia captain Gerhard Erasmus and veteran all-rounder David Wiese stepped up under immense pressure, penciling in their names in Group 2 of the Super 12 stage. Days later, Namibia took their history one step further by beating Scotland by four wickets to notch up their first points of the Super 12 round, and remain one of two unbeaten teams in their group.
Namibia face their biggest test yet in the T20 World Cup in the form of Afghanistan, who demolished Scotland before narrowly falling to hot favorites Pakistan. Despite their loss, Afghanistan are in a decent position to qualify for the semi-finals, and this game will be crucial not only in terms of points but also with net run rate in mind.
Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan sprung a massive surprise on the eve of the Namibia clash, announcing that he will retire from international cricket following the match. But that shouldn't affect Afghanistan's plans on October 31 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi as they take on a talented, upbeat side in Namibia.
T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan eye rebound in crucial Group 2 clash
If Scotland's batters couldn't handle Afghanistan's mystery spinners, will Namibia's be able to? The Eagles wouldn't have seen much of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and playing spin isn't exactly their strength anyway. Mohammad Nabi only adds weight to what is an exceptional spin attack that is capable of stifling the best oppositions.
Karim Janat bowled a horror penultimate over to Asif Ali during the Pakistan clash and didn't impress with the bat either. He might make way for Hamid Hassan, the only other pacer in an Afghanistan squad that is clearly devoid of fast-bowling talent.
Otherwise, Afghanistan's openers will look to counter the new-ball threat of Ruben Trumpelmann, who ran through Scotland's top order with frightening ease a few days ago. Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran are in decent form, though, and that should give Afghanistan the confidence that they will be able to post a decent total.
Namibia's top order hasn't fired so far in the T20 World Cup, and they've often had to rely on massive contributions from the plethora of all-rounders in the middle order. Things won't get too easy against Afghanistan, who have opted to use Mujeeb in the powerplay to great effect.
While Namibia are a resourceful team who have punched above their weight in the T20 World Cup so far, Afghanistan should be a bridge too far for them to cross. Nabi's men can be backed to register a fairly comfortable win.
Prediction: Afghanistan to win Match 27 of the T20 World Cup