No Hazlewood As A Tactical Move? Australia's Probable XI Vs Afghanistan

Josh Hazlewood might be dropped for the match against Afghanistan [AP Photos]Josh Hazlewood might be dropped for the match against Afghanistan [AP Photos]

Australia will play their second match of the Super Eight stage against Afghanistan on June 23 at 6:00 PM IST. This match will be played at the Arnos Vale Stadium in Kingstown.

So far, Australia have played an aggressive brand of cricket and have looked like the team to contend with in the tournament. They have already won their first match of the phase against Bangladesh and will be looking to maintain the momentum to ensure their berth into the semis. 

The Aussies have played a team game so far, with all the players more or less fulfilling their roles. In all probabilities, they will go in with the same eleven for the match against Afghanistan. However, there could be one change that they might make. Josh Hazlewood, the right-arm fast-medium bowler, can be rested for this game. He has picked up three wickets in the four outings in this tournament. But rather than them axing him for his performance, this might be a tactical change. The pitch at the Arnos Vale Stadium has helped the spinners, and thus, they might look to play Ashton Agar. 

Afghanistan had a great spin attack, and they troubled the Aussies when they last met in a World Cup game (ODI World Cup 2023). It will be interesting to see how the Aussies approach this game and if they make a tactical tweak to their playing XI.

Australia Probable Playing XI vs Afghanistan

David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Ashton Agar, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc