England have travelled to Delhi to continue their ICC Cricket World Cup campaign on Sunday as they take on Afghanistan in their third match of the tournament’s round robin stage. Jos Buttler’s men suffered the worst possible start to the competition by being hammered by New Zealand in their opening fixture.
They responded exceptionally, bouncing back with a 137-run victory over Bangladesh in Dharamsala last Tuesday. Dawid Malan was the outstanding player, scoring 140 off 107 to set up England’s innings becoming the oldest World Cup centurion in the process. Consistent pressure with the ball saw Buttler’s side bowl the Tigers out for just 227 and earn them their first points of the tournament.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, are currently at the bottom of the points table with two losses from the two matches they have played. Having been skittled out for 156 by Bangladesh in their first match they performed admirably against India, recovering from a rocky start to post 272. Indian captain Rohit Sharmaunleashed chaos in the host’s reply though and the total was easily chased down.
That match was also played at Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi so the Afghans will at least be familiar with the conditions before they take on the current World Champions today.
Here’s everything you need to know about the fixture plus the latest odds and tips for the game:
When is England vs Afghanistan?
England will face Afghanistan on Sunday 15 October at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi with the match starting at 9.30am BST (2 pm local time).
Where can I watch it?
England vs Afghanistan in the ICC Cricket World Cup will be shown live in the UK on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket, with coverage starting from 9 am.
For those in India, Star Sports will be showing the match in five different languages on TV.
The game can also be streamed online on the Disney+Hotstar app or website.
If you’re travelling abroad and want to watch major sporting events, you might need a VPN to unblock your streaming app. Our VPN roundup is here to help: get great deals on the best VPNs in the market. Viewers using a VPN need to make sure that they comply with any local regulations where they are and also with the terms of their service provider.
Team news
England are expected to make changes ahead of this fixture which could see Ben Stokes return to the team if he is fit enough to play. Pace bowlers like Mark Wood and Chris Woakes could be rested with David Willey and Gus Atkinson making their returns to the line-up. Moeen Ali sat out the win over Bangladesh and could slot back in as the wicket in Delhi doesn’t provide much help for the seamers.
Afghanistan should name an unchanged side as they look to pull off a shock victory over England. The XI impressed against India on this ground and can use the familiar conditions to challenge England.
Predicted line-ups
England XI: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Liam Livingstone, David Willey, Adil Rasid, Gus Atkinson, Reece Topley
Afghanistan XI: Ramanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Naveen-Ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Odds
England 1/9
Afghanistan 6/1
Get the latest Cricket World Cup odds here.
Prediction
Despite Afghanistan’s familiarity with the ground and the usefulness of their spinners, England will have enough quality in their team to win without too much trouble. Jos Buttler’s side will have an eye on the net run-rate after losing heavily to New Zealand so expect them to notch up a big score if they win the toss and bat first.
