In the Group 2 encounter of the Toss Afghanistan versus the UAE, a crucial decision was made as Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and elected to bowl first. Both teams went into the game aware that a victory was essential to keep their slim hopes alive in the competition.
Captain Rashid Khan's decision to bowl first was based on his reading of the Delhi pitch, which he described as a 'fresh wicket' likely to become softer as the day progressed. He anticipated that batting conditions would improve for the chasing team as the day went on. In previous matches during this World Cup, daytime games have started with extra moisture on the pitch, favoring the bowling team. However, with sunny conditions forecasted and a temperature around 25 degrees Celsius, the advantage of the moisture for the bowlers might decrease as the day went on.
In terms of team changes, Afghanistan made a like-for-like replacement with pacer Ziaur Rahman coming into the side in place of left-arm quick Fazalhaa Farooqi. Their strategy centered on maintaining a strong spin attack, comprising captain Rashid, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, and Noor Ahmad. UAE also made alterations by bringing in Simranjeet Singh and Syed Haider to replace Muhammad Farooq and Mayank Kumar in the playing eleven.
Both Afghanistan and UAE were in a precarious position, virtually out of contention for the Super Eights round. The outcome of this match would be critical, with the losing team facing elimination from the tournament. Meanwhile, the winning team would still need a series of upsets against table-toppers New Zealand and South Africa to progress further in the competition.
The lineups for the two teams were as follows:
Afghanistan:
– Rashid Khan ccaptainc
– Rahmanullah Gurbaz cwicketkeeperc
– Ibrahim Zadran
– Gulbadin Naib
– Sediqullah Atal
– Darwish Rasooli
– Azmatullah Omarzai
– Mohammad Nabi
– Mujeeb Ur Rahman
– Noor Ahmad
– Ziaur Rahman
United Arab Emirates:
– Muhammad Waseem ccaptainc
– Aryansh Sharma cwicketkeeperc
– Alishan Sharafu
– Sohaib Khan
– Syed Haider
– Harshit Kaushik
– Muhammad Arfan
– Haider Ali
– Simranjeet Singh
– Junaid Siddique
– Muhammad Jawadullah
With everything at stake, both teams entered the field fully prepared to fight for a victory that would keep their World Cup dreams alive. The stage was set for an intense battle between Afghanistan and the UAE, with fans eagerly anticipating an exciting encounter to unfold on the Delhi pitch.
