ICC World Cup 2019 | England's Predicted XI for Old Trafford clash against Afghanistan
After Jason Roy suffered a hamstring tear, James Vince will get his first start of the World Cup while Eoin Morgan seems to have been fit for the game. This will be the second encounter in the World Cup between both the teams and it will take a lot for the Afghans to get the better of the hosts.
James Vince: He is the only man who can replace the injured Jason Roy in the XI. Well, Root did a great job last time with a century but going forward England would prefer him to bat at No. 3. Luckily for them, they get the bottom placed team and can give Vince a chance to justify his selection. Also, Morgan confirmed in his press conference that Vince would open in the game.
Jonny Bairstow: He has just been a steady man at the top of the order for the English. With scores of 32, 51, and 45, he has curbed his natural attacking instinct with Roy alongside him. Today, however, we might see the Bairstow that blew away sides in the IPL this year.
Joe Root: He looks absolutely fabulous. Recently, Stokes came out and made the claim that he would not swap Root with any player in the world. If his teammate keeps doing what he has been doing, other teams might be willing to swap any of their players for him.
Jos Buttler: Surprise! England have absolutely no reason to risk Eoin Morgan in this game. Afghanistan’s batting has been shambolic in the tournament so far. Even a “weakened” batting lineup should be enough to put a score well outside the Afghan’s reach. The question now is who makes the jump? Buttler is the prime candidate as England can test him on whether he can play that high up if the top order fails.
Ben Stokes: Apart from his 89 against South Africa, he has been extremely quiet in both major aspects of the game. This might be the game he needs to get back some of the form that had led many to call him as the best all-rounder in the game.
Moeen Ali: After taking three wickets against Pakistan, the last thing Moeen Ali would have thought about was what he was going to do on the bench. With Wood back in the side, the all rounder has found it hard to break into the side. With half of England’s top order injured, they will need the depth that he offers in their lineup today.
Chris Woakes: What can’t he do? After opening the bowling against West Indies and finishing with figures of 1/16 in five overs, he was promoted to No. 3. It might sound like an odd decision but when he returned with a 54 ball 40, other teams would have felt their hearts sink.
Liam Plunkett: England haven’t needed anything spectacular from him so far with everyone around him taking care of business. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have that in the locker to come big when needed. His 27 off 9 balls against Bangladesh is still one of the best cameos we have seen in this World Cup.
Mark Wood: Ever since he has made his comeback into the team, he has already picked up seven wickets. His economy rate might need a little work but his place in the team is quite secure.
Jofra Archer: He is quite simply their best bowler who was nowhere close to the team a year ago. Now, it is hard to imagine the England side without him.
Adil Rashid: England might have considered using Tom Curran for this game with rains expected to make a short appearance tomorrow. However, after seeing what Tahir did to the Afghans in the last game, there is no way he doesn’t start.
Cricket FootBall Kabaddi
Basketball Hockey
SportsCafe
