World Cup 2019, England vs Afghanistan: 3 key players who can win the game for Afghanistan
England take on Afghanistan at Old Trafford on Tuesday in the 24th game of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup.
Although the hosts are the clear favourites on paper, they cannot afford to take this Afghanistan side lightly.
Eoin Morgan's men have looked solid if not spectacular in this tournament. They suffered a shock defeat to Pakistan, but turned things around nicely by winning their next two games, against Bangladesh and West Indies respectively.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, are yet to pick up a point and will be desperate to cause an upset on Tuesday.
Here are three players who will play a key role for Gulbadin Naib's side:
#1 Rashid Khan
It goes without saying that Afghanistan's biggest weapon is 20-year-old leg-spinner, Rashid Khan.
Rashid, who also plies his trade for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League, has constantly put on performances that have forced us to stand up and applaud.
If Afghanistan are to pull off an upset and defeat England, Rashid must lead from the front. England are known to struggle against wily spinners and Rashid's flipper and slider can cause the English batsmen quite a few problems.
#2 Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi is another crucial cog in the Afghanistan wheel and he must come good on Tuesday if his team are to entertain any hopes of causing an upset.
A clean striker of the ball who can also deliver with the ball in hand, Nabi's experience will come in handy for Afghanistan. He needs to play with maturity and guide the youngsters in the side.
Nabi's task will be to hold the middle order together and then try and contain the English batters.
#3 Gulbadin Naib
Gulbadin Naib, who replaced Asghar Afghan as the country's captain just before the World Cup, will also have to play out of his skin to ensure that Afghanistan do not crumble on the night.
In Afghanistan's previous game against South Africa, Naib picked up the wicket of Quinton de Kock, proving he is no mug with the ball.
Naib is pretty handy with the bat as well and being the captain of the side, he must lead from the front and take the fight to the Englishmen.
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