Co-hosts West Indies (WI) and Afghanistan (AFG) lock horns in the 40th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 on Tuesday, June 18, at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia.
The two teams are placed in Group C alongside New Zealand, Uganda, and Papua New Guinea. This encounter is going to be a preparatory match for both sides as these two teams have qualified for the Super Eight stage.
The Rovman Powell-led side defeated their other group opponents and are in the second position in the standings after winning three games in a row with a brilliant net run-rate (NRR) of +2.596.
Meanwhile, Rashid Khan & Co have also had an impressive run in the tournament so far, winning all their matches and having an impressive NRR of +4.230. Afghanistan has experienced a remarkable rise in recent times, getting rid of its underdog status and becoming a strong contender to lift its inaugural ICC title.
West Indies and Afghanistan will leave no stone unturned in the upcoming encounter, hoping to tick all of their boxes before playing Super Eight matches.
Team news
Barring any last-minute injuries, both teams are likely to be unchanged. It could perhaps be a last chance for Johnson Charles to come good, with Shai Hope waiting in the wings.
West Indies (probable): 1 Brandon King, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 4 Roston Chase, 5 Rovman Powell (capt), 6 Andre Russell, 7 Sherfane Rutherford, 8 Akeal Hosein, 9 Romario Shepherd, 10 Alzarri Joseph, 11 Gudakesh Motie.
Afghanistan (probable): 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Gulbadin Naib, 4 Azmatullah Omarzai, 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Najibullah Zadran, 7 Karim Janat, 8 Rashid Khan (capt), 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Pitch and conditions
The pitches so far in Gros Islet have been more conducive for batting than most at this World Cup, with teams scoring 180 or more in three out of four innings. At this venue, teams generally prefer to bowl first after winning the toss. In 14 T20s since the start of 2022, only twice have teams opted to bat first. But the results have been mixed: teams batting first have won six times and teams bowling first have also won six times, while two games were washed out.