Afghanistan Team. (Photo Source: ICC)

Afghanistan have been one of the standout teams in the T20 World Cup 2024. Rashid Khan has led his side well to make it to the Super-8 stages of the tournament for the first time ever. The Afghans will play their last Group match against hosts West Indies to determine who will finish as the table topper.

In their very first game of the T20 World Cup tournament, Afghanistan defeated Uganda by a huge margin of 125 runs. Fifties from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran meant that Afghanistan scored 183 and bowled out Uganda for 58 with Fazalhaq Farooqi taking 5/9.

New Zealand were the next opponents and Afghanistan yet again posed a massive win this time by 84 runs. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid Khan picked four wickets each to win the game for their side. With a win over Papua New Guinea by seven wickets, Afghanistan won their third game of the campaign and secured a place in the next round.

Here is the predicted Afghanistan XI for their match against West Indies –

Openers – Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. (Source – Twitter/X)

Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have given their team perfect starts in both their opening encounters. The two batters have added 100 plus runs against Uganda and New Zealand to help their side to huge totals on the board. Considering the threat that West Indies bowlers will bring to the table, both the Afghan openers will have a huge role to play against the hosts. 

Also Check: WC Most Runs

Middle-order – Gulbadin Naib and Najibullah Zadran

Veteran star Gulbadin Naib was the star with the bat in their previous win over PNG. The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 49 runs from 36 balls to guide his team to the win. One of the biggest concerns for Afghanistan is the form of Najibullah Zadran who hasn’t fired with the bat and put up low scores on the board. 

All-rounders – Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan. (Source – Getty Images)

One of the biggest strengths that Afghanistan has is the amount of all-rounders they have in the team. Veteran star Mohammad Nabi is slowly coming back to his prime form with the bat and has also been tidy with the ball. Azmatullah Omarzai has been bowling well as the first-change bowler and will look to score crucial runs on the board. Rashid Khan the skipper has been in phenomenal form with the ball and is also more than handy with the bat. Young Karim Janat is yet to make an impact in the tournament but with the talent he has, the 25-year-old can change the course of any game all by himself. 

Also Check: WC Most Wickets

Bowlers – Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi

Fazalhaq Farooqi. (Source – Twitter/X)

Young left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmad has picked just a single wicket so far in this tournament. On his day, Noor Ahmad has the ability to run through any side and pick big wickets and also bowl economically.

Pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has been steady with the ball and has played the perfect fiddle to his new-ball partner Fazalhaq Farooqi. The right-arm pacer bowls with decent speed and can also outfox the batters with his variations.

The best bowler of the T20 World Cup 2024 is none other than left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi. The 23-year-old has already picked 12 wickets in the campaign with a fifer against Uganda and 4/17 against the Kiwis as his best showing. West Indies batters will be wary of his threat especially with the new-ball under lights. 

Afghanistan’s Predicted XI vs West Indies

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (C), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.