3 Teams Afghanistan Will Surprise in World Cup 2023

image-lnaml5mdAfghanistan defeated Sri Lanka in the practice match ahead of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

The  2023 World Cup kicks off on October 5 with ten teams colliding against one another in a round-robin format. Eight teams qualified on the basis of their rankings in the World Cup Super League while India got an automatic qualification, advantage earned of becoming the host. 

To everyone's surprise, Afghanistan impressed all with their recent performances in the last four years and therefore managed to make it to the World Cup without playing the Qualifiers. With 14 wins in their pocket, the Hashmatullah Shahidi-captained side had more wins than prominent nations such as India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and West Indies. 

No doubt, the Atalans are one of the rapid rising nations in modern cricket. And there should be even lesser doubt that the Afghans enter into the World Cup arena with the aim to surprise opponents every now and then. Let us have a quick look at the three teams that  Afghanistan may surprise in World Cup 2023. 


1.England

Afghanistan play England on October 15 in the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.  During the 2023 Indian Premier League, it was visible that the surfaces in the capital of the State was on the slower side. Run-scoring was not easy and the spinners fetched a lot of juice out of it. 

The Afghan Atalans have a plethora of quality spinners in the ranks who could capitalize on conditions like these. The trinity of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi carry the potential to dismantle any particular opposition on their day. Moreover, the current English side is not very technically sound against quality spinners in the Asian conditions. Joe Root is their best batter against spin while the likes of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Dawid Malan fall in the next best category. 

2. Pakistan 

Time and again Afghanistan have produced valiant performances against Pakistan. There have been various occasions when the side was on their verge of victory but the Men in Green managed to have the last laugh by hook or crook. The two famous sixes from Naseem Shah to finish a game in the Asia Cup 2022, Imad Wasim's finish in the final over of World Cup 2019 are few of the examples to cite. 

Defeats offer a great learning and it's a known fact. The Afghan side would be taking the positives from the past and march forward to avenge their loses against the neighbours on October 23 in M. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Also, this is again one of those venues where the Afghan spin wizards may come handy with respect  to the conditions.


3. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka and Afghanistan have had a rich history in the past few years. Both sides have induldged in some intensified bilateral clashes, Asia Cup tournaments, etc. Their latest encounter being the do-or-die group stage match of the Asia Cup 2023 where Afghanistan failed to chase the target within the stipulated overs despite a terrific platform layed by the top and middle-order batters. A little miscalculation costed them a chance to be in the Super Fours.

From the eleven ODI matches the two sides have been involved in, the Lankan side won seven games while Afghanistan won three. But time and again, they have always halted winning streaks of the Island nation. As it stands, Sri Lanka have won their latest three matches against the counterparts and this could be the time when the Jonathan Trott-coached side comes out on the top.