England win toss, opt to bowl first against Afghanistan in ICC World Cup

In a much-anticipated World Cup encounter, England’s skipper, Jos Buttler, won the toss and elected to bowl first against Afghanistan in ICC World Cup 2023, here on Sunday.

England and Afghanistan have previously crossed paths in two One Day Internationals (ODIs), with England emerging victorious in both instances.

The most recent clash between these teams occurred back in June 2019 when England dominated the game with a massive score of 397/6, winning by a significant margin of 150 runs.

Another match in 2015 saw England clinching victory by nine wickets through the DLS (Duckworth-Lewis-Stern) method.

The Arun Jaitley Cricket Stadium, the stage for today’s England Vs. Afghanistan match, has historically favored spinners and slow bowlers, particularly in the later stages of the game. However, with new black soil pitches in use, batsmen are expected to have an advantage.

Playing XIs:

England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (captain & wicketkeeper), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood and Reece Topley

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi

Also Read: India Retains Top Position In ICC Men’s ODI Team Rankings After Victory Over Pakistan