There is still hope for Australia as their title defence hangs by a thread
Aaron Finch spent nearly all of Australia's training session (November 3) in one-on-one discussions with his senior players. He was not lying on his stomach or chatting with Matthew Wade, his vice-captain, in the corner in Adelaide. Mitchell Marsh was discussing attacking shot ideas with him, except when he was having a good time with Glenn Maxwell, his former housemate. Finch did not train himself. During a sunny afternoon in Adelaide, Finch didn't even get his hands off his pockets. It was symbolic of Finch’s availability for Australia’s first-ever T20 World Cup final league match. It's now out of their control in both cases.
Australia must beat Afghanistan at their home ground, which will bring a lot of support to Rashid Khan. They must also beat them by an equivalent margin or more than 60 runs. They must also keep their fingers crossed that Sri Lanka will beat England at the SCG if that seems too daunting.
The defending champions have had a difficult ride in a tournament they started as favorites. The heavy defeat to New Zealand was the first. It was followed by those four decisive overs from Devon Conway and Finn Allen, which left a lasting impression on their campaign. Then came the humiliating defeat against England at MCG. Then, on the other side, the two shaky wins against Sri Lanka and Ireland in Brisbane. In the past, there have been instances when Australian teams made the best of a slow start to their World Cup journeys by reaching peak times. They have now lost the right to demand this opportunity, as captain Finch would put it.
Finch wasn’t the only one with injuries on the eve. Tim David, also suffering from an injury to his hamstring, was also under scrutiny, even though he did spend half an hour in the nets. Based on initial impressions, it seems like David will be given a chance, even though coach Andrew McDonald's expression during the discussion about the chances of the big-hitting Western Australian with chief selector George Bailey was not one of great confidence.
Australia is to blame, but poor Afghanistan can legitimately claim that they are being punished by the adverse weather conditions in Afghanistan. They arrived at the venue twice in two matches and left without being bowled a single ball. Their losses to England, Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka were not without moments where they could have played a significant role in the final outcome. They now have to put on a show for a large crowd in Afghanistan, who will be accompanied by flags and songs.
When: Australia vs. Afghanistan, ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, November 4, 2018, 18:30 Local, 13:30 IST
Where is Adelaide Oval? Adelaide
What to Expect: After weeks of cold winds and intermittent rains, it finally feels like spring in Adelaide. Although it's not yet shorts weather, the sun will shine throughout the day. It will remain there for the first innings as well as a little bit of the second innings. It appeared that the pitch used for the first round of the games earlier in the week had many runs, which should continue on Friday. Adelaide is an excellent venue for defending totals. With Australia's chances at staying alive, it's something they'll want to do.
T20I Head-to-Head: 0. It will be their first-ever T20I meeting
Team Watch
Australia
Unavailable/Injured: Australia continues to worry about Finch and David to a lesser degree, but Marcus Stoinis seems to have pulled through a lot better and had a long hit with Glenn Maxwell.
Tactics and Matchups:
Australia cannot afford to let the Afghans down and will do anything to win. This could mean getting Mitchell Starc to start the bowling again to give the Afghans a blistering start with their ball or maybe even promoting some of their larger hitters to help them set a target.
Probable: Aaron Finch, Cameron Green, David Warner and Mitch Marsh/Steve Smith. Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis. Tim David/Steve Smith. Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins. Mitchell Starc. Adam Zampa. Josh Hazlewood
Afghanistan
Tactics and Matchups:
We haven't had enough exposure to Afghanistan at this World Cup to understand their strategies. Everyone involved hopes that Rashid Khan will be able to play in Adelaide's big 'home" game. Rashid is set to play, and their plans revolve around Rashid's mastery of the bat and ball, with the rest of the team playing around him.
In T20 cricket, Rashid Khan has dismissed Stoinis three times and Finch twice. Matthew Wade has not been out of Rashid's 49-ball innings and scored at a rate of 153.13 against him.
Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Usman Ghani, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Did You Know?
Afghanistan was the only team not to win any of the games so far in this World Cup.
David Warner was the Player of The Tournament at the World Cup last year. He scored 4(11), 5(6) and 11(10) in his four T20I games.
Rashid Khan, playing for the Strikers in BBL, has 44 wickets out of 29 games. His economy is 6.57
They said:
"Not bad when it comes to cricket terms. Maths was not my favorite subject in school. It's a great thing to love when they have a run per over when you're chasing. Sometimes it may say 57 runs off 36 balls. It's not something I can do well. If it states that you need 11 or 6 overs, then you can begin to create a game plan around this rather than worrying about the maths. It's not so bad in cricket terms. - Aaron Finch explains his math skills and how Australia could qualify for the World Cup.
