Afghanistan v Australia – Only ODI – Match Preview (Part 2)
Continued from Part 1...
Although the team most expected to win is predictably Australia, skipper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MJ-Clarke-c1978 has promised that his side are not taking the Afghan team lightly.
“No doubt Pakistan's on my mind but our focus as a team has been on Afghanistan,” he said. “After Saturday's game we'll sit down then and look at the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 side.”
“It's an opportunity for them to come out with nothing to lose and plenty to gain and I think it will be good cricket,” Clarke added.
Following an unsuccessful few matches in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Javed-Ahmadi-c66518 and Karim Sadiq (a veteran of 20 ODIs, with 441 runs and two centuries to his credit).
On a spin-conducive surface, the bowling attack is likely to be spearheaded by leg-spinner http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mohammad-Nabi-c77111.
Meanwhile, the Aussies have announced a confirmed XI, and will be looking to improve their ODI rankings, having slipped to fourth place. Wicketkeeper http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Clarke-c51120 has promoted himself to number 3 in the batting line-up, a position which has proved problematic for the Aussies.
David and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/George-Bailey-c1480 will be bulking up the middle order. Commenting on what is required of the batsmen, Warner has observed that the key to winning lies in playing spin successfully.
Debuting all-rounder http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Mitchell-Aaron-Starc-c76392.
In terms of conditions, Afghanistan appear to have the upper hand. In addition to having arrived early in the UAE to acclimatise themselves with the hot and humid conditions, they will be playing in front of a supportive crowd which is likely to comprise Afghan ex-pats. The Aussies, on the other hand, have just arrived in the UAE, coming from a tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 and a cold winter back home.
The pitch at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium is a hard affair with little to no grass cover, which is bound to prove conducive for the spin bowlers on both sides.
In order to avoid the scorching daytime heat, and with temperatures expected to be around 30 - 40° C, unusual play timings have been arranged – the match marks the first ODI in cricketing history to be played over a span of two days, scheduled to begin at 6pm on August 25, and finish at 1.45am on August 26.
Afghanistan playing XI (probable):
1 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Asghar-Stanikzai-c1094, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 9 Gulbodin Naib, 10 Dawlat Zadran, 11 Shapoor Zadran
Australia playing XI:
1 Matthew Wade (wicketkeeper), 2 http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MG-Johnson-c1945, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 James Pattinson, 11 Xavier Doherty
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