Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh): Afghanistan is the team to watch out for this World Cup as it has created three upsets. It first stunned defending champions England at the Kotla, then got the better of the 1992 World Cup championship Pakistan at the Chepauk and then Sri Lanka at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune. So, when Afghanistan takes on the Netherlands at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Stadium on Friday in a league stage fixture, the Asian side will be favourites to win the encounter.
For Afghanistan, their world-class spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, and Mohammed Nabi can run through the Netherlands batting order, especially on a track that aids tweakers. For Afghanistan, their pacer Fazal ul Haq Farooqi had wreaked havoc against Sri Lanka in the last game by taking a four-for. In all likelihood, he would be retained in the playing 11. Afghanistan batters have also improved substantially in this edition of the World Cup and have performed together as a unit. For the Asian side, skipper Hashmat Shahidi (226 runs from six innings) has led from the front and has chipped in with vital contributions. The second-highest run-getter for the Jonathan Trott-coached side is opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who has 224 runs from six innings. Others, including Rahmat Shah, and Azmatullah Omarzai, have been contributing with the bat. If all the batters fire in unison, they can chase or post a mammoth total.
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However, their coach Jonathan Trott wants their batters to score an individual hundred and they would surely sense an opportunity in the game on Friday. So far, Afghanistan is in the sixth spot, with three wins and as many losses and six points, a win would give them two more points.
The Netherlands have also put in a spirited performance in the World Cup and have stunned South Africa, which was an upset win, and later Bangladesh. The team in other games has shown a never-say-die attitude and earned praise from the cricketing greats. Skipper Scott Edwards has led from the front and has been a vital cog for the team. The senior players have also played their parts to perfection and Netherlands bowlers have bowled in tandem.
If the Netherlands are able to tick all the boxes, they can spring a surprise on Friday. For the record, the Netherlands is in the eighth spot and if they come inside the first seven, they can qualify for the Champions Trophy 2025, to be played in Pakistan.
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