Afghanistan vs West Indies ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Group Stage Match Prediction
The match between the West Indies and Afghanistan is essential as both teams will go through to the Super 8 as table-toppers.
Both teams have won their 3 matches in Group stages, and their last game will be against each other. Both teams can win the game as they show against one of the strongest teams in world cricket, New Zealand. Check out the predictions for Afghanistan vs. West Indies Match.
Match Preview
Both teams have shown consistency and courage to become the top two teams of T20 World Cup 2024 Group C. Afghanistan showed full authority in Group C after winning 3 matches with an NRR of +4.23. On the other hand, the two-time T20 WC winning team, West Indies, was also very disciplined in their game and got through to the next round of T20 World Cup 2024.
For now, this tournament is all about Afghanistan players; RehmanUllah Gurbaz is the leading run-scorer of the T20 World Cup 2024 after scoring 167 runs. His opening partner, Ibrahim Zadran, is among the top 5 best batters in the T20 World Cup after scoring 114 runs.
Afghanistan is very famous for its spin bowling, but in this World Cup, the premium fast bowler of Afghanistan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, is in another league as a fast bowler. He got 12 wickets with an extraordinary economy of 3.70. Also, he has registered the best bowling figures for the T20 World Cup, with 5/9 in 4 overs.
West Indies also showed some form after struggling in recent ICC Tournaments. The batting department of the West Indies cricket team has yet to show excellent performance, but the bowling firepower has great things to conquer. Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosain got 15 wickets with a brilliant economy of less than 6. As a batting department, they struggled against Papua New Guinea, but after that match, they showed great unity to win three games.
Both teams achieved great success at the beginning of the tournament by eliminating New Zealand. New Zealand qualified for the last three T20 World Cup semi-finals, where they played the 2021 T20 World Cup final. So, to win against that top-quality side was an achievement on its own.
Head-to-Head
West Indies is slightly above in their recent match record. But Afghanistan performed excellently against the West Indies in the T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan was the only team to win the match against West Indies in T20 World Cup 2016. In this match, Afghanistan's performance shows that it will level the record against West Indies in T20 matches.
Total = 7
West Indies = 4
Afghanistan = 3
Pitch Reports
The Afghanistan and the West Indies match will be played at Darren Sammy International Cricket Stadium. It feels like this pitch will play better than the starting World Cup pitches. The batter should get benefits from the surface to make a high score. Bowlers can also benefit of taking wickets in early overs if they hit the right areas.
Weather Report
The weather forecast showed rain predictions. But if the match happens, the cover should be cut off. But hope for the best and the match happened to get the results.
Key Players
Both teams give all-around performances, and their players have shown excellent skills to win three matches in their group.
Afghanistan
The top order of Afghanistan cricket is in top-notch form and giving an excellent start to Afghanistan in the early overs of the innings. Rehmanullah Gubaz and Ibrahim Zadran have shown exceptional skills up the order in the powerplay. And then in the middle, Gulbadin Naib and Azamatullah Omarzai have a great talent for getting excellent partnerships in the middle over the game if both openers got out cheaply.
In bowling, Fazalulhaq Farooqi has shown excellent performance in the starting overs of the game. He is the leading wicket-taker, and with him, Naveen ul Haq is another excellent option to start the inning in the best way.
In the spin department, Rashid Khan is a lone warrior. His four crucial overs can take the game away from his opposition.
West Indies
West Indies also has a decent batting powerhouse. This team mostly believes in hard-hitting, which has been the key for them throughout the year in T20 Cricket. Brendon King and Charles are the opening pair of West Indies, which are responsible for a decent start in powerplay in T20 World Cup 2024.
The leader of West Indies team, Powell, experienced Andre Russell and Sherfane Rutherford holds the middle order. Sherfane Rutherford comming from an excellent inning of 68* runs against New Zealand.
West Indies has Alzarri Joseph and Akeal Hosain in the bowling department. Both players are the backbone of the West Indies bowling department. In other options, Andre Russell has excellent experience. He is coming from an outstanding season for KKR in IPL 2024 as a bowler. Overall, West Indies has a pretty balanced bowling squad.
Win Predictions
West Indies and Afghanistan have a very tight rivalry in T20 cricket, as shown by their T20 record. The toss will be crucial for this match because it has been seen that the team batting second gets an extra advantage in winning the match. Therefore, it becomes an excellent chance for the team to win the match, which got the bowling first.
To decide the winner between both teams, Afghanistan has a slight advantage to win that match. Both teams have an equal set of bowling, but in batting, West Indies needs to have discipline. Against New Zealand, five wickets were lost under 50 runs, but due to the excellent inning of Rutherford, they got fighting total.
Related: T20 Cricket Tips
Afghanistan has shown great aggression in their bowling and batting line, which gives them an edge in that match against West Indies. Their opening pair is unstoppable, and due to the great bowling of Fazalhaq Farooqi, this team looks very dangerous not only for West Indies but also for all teams that have qualified for the top 8.
Match Odds
Afghanistan: 7/4
West Indies: 4/9