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- Joe Root to be England Top Run Scorer – 3/1 bet365
- Rashid Khan to be Afghanistan’s Top Bowler – 3/1 Betfred
- Jos Buttler To Hit A Six – 3/5 Betway
England bounced back from their defeat in their 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup opener with a strong performance to see off Bangladesh.
Dawid Malan scored a brilliant century and was supported by Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow as the Three Lions mustered an imposing total of 364 for nine from their 50 overs.
Once Reece Topley tore through the Bangladesh top order the game was all-but sealed for Jos Buttler’s team, who ran out comfortable victors by 137 runs to get off the mark in their campaign.
Afghanistan kicked off their World Cup with a heavy loss to India. They managed to put forward a half-decent effort with the bat, but were powerless as Rohit Sharma unleashed an onslaught to lead India to their second win in a row.
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s side face another stern test against England in their bid to find their first win of the tournament. Here are our three predictions for the clash in Delhi on Sunday 15 October based on the odds from UK betting sites.
Root to fire once more
England had concerns about Root’s form entering the competition, so much so that he asked to play an additional one-day international against Ireland after a lean time against New Zealand in their series in September.
For a batter of Root’s calibre, he lacked fluency and timing against the Black Caps, and his confidence appeared to be low ahead of the World Cup.
However, he proved that class is permanent with a solid knock of 77 in England’s defeat to New Zealand in their first game before falling narrowly short of a deserved century against Bangladesh.
Root is England’s best player of spin and they will be pinning their hopes on him to thrive once more in the middle against Afghanistan’s battery of spinners, including Rashid Khan.
The 32-year-old scored 88 in England’s World Cup win over Afghanistan in 2019, his only previous innings against them. Root also has a great record batting in ODIs in India, averaging 64.85.
The only blemish is a lack of a century, which he could change by being England’s top batter on Sunday at odds of 3/1 with bet365.
Khan to trouble the England ranks
Khan took the only two wickets to fall for Afghanistan in their eight-wicket loss to India. He did not escape unpunished from Sharma’s brilliance, but he remains his side’s most important player.
If Afghanistan are to spring a World Cup surprise against the holders, Khan needs to be operating at the peak of his powers.
He can draw on his extensive Indian Premier League experience, having played against a number of the England batting unit in the competition.
Although the Three Lions bounced back against Bangladesh, they are still not firing on all cylinders, particularly the middle and lower order. Given England’s aggressive style there will be opportunities for Khan and his team-mates.
We’re taking Khan to be Afghanistan's top bowler in the game with odds of 3/1 at Betfred.
Tip: Rashid Khan to be Afghanistan’s Top Bowler – 3/1 Betfred
Buttler to hit a six
The England captain has had a quiet start to the tournament with the bat, scoring 43 against New Zealand and 20 against Bangladesh.
Buttler will want time in the middle to prepare himself for the challenges of more potent bowling attacks later in the round-robin phase.
He has scored 165 sixes in his England career, only his predecessor Eoin Morgan has scored more maximums in ODI cricket for the Three Lions. Those sixes have come in 144 innings, so he averages at least one six every time he comes to the crease for his country.
Indeed, Buttler cleared the rope twice against the Black Caps and once against Bangladesh. We’re backing him to continue his six-hitting form against Afghanistan, although the only doubt will be whether he gets to the middle if England can follow in India’s footsteps with a dominant innings.
Buttler has Cricket World Cup odds of 3/5 with Betway to hit a six in the game which is our final bet for the contest.
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Last Updated: 14th March 2024, 07:22 AM
