Gros Islet [St Lucia], June 18 (ANI): Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to field first against co-hosts West Indies in the final game of Group C of the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Monday (local time).
West Indies and Afghanistan, who have already advanced to the Super Eight stage, will face off in their final group stage match of the T20 World Cup, hoping to maintain their winning streak. West Indies have progressively improved after a narrow win over Papua New Guinea, with triumphs over Uganda and New Zealand. Meanwhile, Afghanistan has been perfect, aided by favourable Caribbean conditions, according to skipper Rashid Khan.
Speaking at the time of toss, Rashid said, “We are gonna bowl. It’s just about making sure how we go about the run-chase. Also, with the oppsition, it is best to bowl first. We have to adjust quickly, we have seen a couple of games here, it’s going to be a bouncy wicket, most of the guys have played in the CPL and that will help. Toss is not a big advantage, it’s more about playing the right brand of cricket and taking good decisions.”
West Indies skipper Rovman Powell said, “It is more to gain than to lose, it’s a good opportunity for us to play good cricket. It’s not a matter of stressing it, it’s a matter of gaining confidence from this game. We have two changes – Romario Shepherd is out and Obed McCoy is in and Roston Chase is out and Shai Hope comes in. Romario is with his family for the birth of his second child.”
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan(c), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Johnson Charles, Nicholas Pooran(w), Shai Hope, Rovman Powell(c), Sherfane Rutherford, Andre Russell, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Gudakesh Motie and Obed McCoy. (ANI)
