2023 World Cup Fantasy League: Best Fantasy XI for Match 13 - ENG vs AFG - 15th Oct, 2023 | World Cup Fantasy Tips
England and Afghanistan square off in the 13th match of the 2023 Men's ODI World Cup on Sunday, October 15, at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi.
Players playing in Match 12: Virat Kohli (BAT) (IND), Jasprit Bumrah (BOWL) (IND), Abdullah Shafique (BAT) (PAK), and Hardik Pandya (ALL) (IND)
Captain: Hardik Pandya | Vice-captain: Abdullah Shafique
Total Points: 5,539.5
I decided to save a transfer and not bring Haris Rauf in from yesterday's match, and I'm glad I did because my indecision over who to bring in would certainly have cost me a transfer. It was not the best of matches for my team as I suffered a fairly significant rank drop, but I attribute that to other managers using lots of transfers purely because it was an India match.
I'm confident I can regain lost ground with this match between England and Afghanistan. Joe Root is the only player I own, and I plan to add three more from this fixture.
Transfer Deadline: 02:00 pm IST, Sunday, October 15
Note: The suggested team is subject to change depending on the toss or other unexpected team news. Any such changes will be updated for the next match day.
Transfers
Transfers Made: 3 | Transfers Remaining: 103
1) Hardik Pandya (ALL) (IND) - OUT | Jonny Bairstow (WK) (ENG) - IN
2) Abdullah Shafique (BAT) (PAK) - OUT | Dawid Malan (BAT) (ENG) - IN
3) Shakib Al Hasan (ALL) (BAN) - OUT | Mark Wood (BOWL) (ENG) - IN
The pitch like the ones we've gotten at Delhi is the worst you can get for bowlers. For a side like Afghanistan whose main strength is their bowling, playing at such venues can be tough. The track at the Arun Jaitley Stadium isn't expected to get any better for this match and is likely to offer very little assistance to the bowlers.
Just like in their last match against India, I'm not confident enough about any Afghanistan player to bring them in, and hence, I am going with an all-England lineup for this one.
Jonny Bairstow and Dawid Malan teed off against the Bangladesh bowlers at Dharamsala, and I expect them to do the same at Delhi. Bairstow would've been disappointed getting out early in that match, and given his penchant for scoring big, I expect him to make a mountain of runs in this match.
Mark Wood is my bowling representative from England for this match. I don't fancy the Afghanistan batters handling a high-pace bowler like Wood and expect them to struggle against him.
This team has been picked with England batting first in mind. If they end up bowling first, I might drop Malan or Bairstow and go with another England bowler like Reece Topley or Sam Curran.
2023 World Cup Fantasy - Best Fantasy XI for Match 13 - ENG vs AFG: Thoughts and Captaincy Tips
Players playing in Match 13: Joe Root (BAT) (ENG), Jonny Bairstow (WK) (ENG), Dawid Malan (BAT) (ENG), and Mark Wood (BOWL) (ENG)
Any of these four players could become captaincy options. However, considering the law of averages, I'm not as confident in handing the armband to Dawid Malan as I am about the others. Joe Root is dependable as ever and I expect a huge score from him in this match.
Mark Wood needs only three good, unplayable deliveries to deliver a points haul in excess of 100, and that's the wonderful thing about bowlers in fantasy cricket. Even though the conditions may not suit bowling, England should surely bowl Afghanistan out and Wood should be involved heavily in that.
Other players
David Warner (BAT) (AUS) | Next Fixture: vs SL, Match 14
Mitchell Starc (BOWL) (AUS) | Next Fixture: vs SL, Match 14
Devon Conway (WK) (NZ) | Next Fixture: vs AFG, Match 16
Trent Boult (BOWL) (NZ) | Next Fixture: vs AFG, Match 16
Virat Kohli (BAT) (IND) | Next Fixture: vs BAN, Match 17
Jasprit Bumrah (BOWL) (IND) | Next Fixture: vs BAN, Match 17
Rachin Ravindra (ALL) (NZ) | Next Fixture: vs AFG, Match 16