Australia’s 2023 ICC ODI World Cup winning run continued against England, taking their streak to five, however Afghanistan now stand in their way.
Afghanistan have surpassed all expectations in this tournament, winning their way into a position where semi-final qualification is within reach. As such, this is a huge game for the underdogs.
Check out our full preview of the match below, complete with betting tips and player props!
ICC Cricket World Cup Betting Tips
Australia vs Afghanistan
Mumbai, Tuesday 7th November, 7:30pm (AEDT)
Australia
The Australia train keeps rolling on after they swatted England aside to record a fifth win on the bounce.
Despite missing key players Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, Marnus Labuschagne (71 off 83 balls), Cameron Green (47 off 52) and Steve Smith (44 off 52) ensured that the men in green and gold reached a respectable 286 against the old enemy.
With the ball it was the Adam Zampa show again – the in-form leg spinner took 3/21 off 10 overs to stifle England’s momentum, before the quicks made sure of the result.
With a place in the final four just about guaranteed, Australia will now welcome back both Marsh and Maxwell, giving them 15 fit players to choose from, although Steve Smith has suffered some vertigo throughout the week.
With a full squad and wins in the bank, Australia will head into the knockout stages of this tournament with supreme confidence that they can challenge the might of India for ultimate glory.
Marsh and Maxwell will return on Tuesday, and I believe Labuschagne and Green will be the unlucky men to miss out.
Australia Predicted XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
Afghanistan
Incredibly, Afghanistan are in the hunt for a top four spot after three consecutive wins.
The former minnows have knocked off Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Netherlands to sit sixth in the standings, but crucially they have an extra game in hand over Pakistan and New Zealand.
In saying that, nothing but a win will do here.
Both Afghanistan’s batting and bowling have held up well in India – Hashmat Shahidi (282 runs) and Rahmat Shah (264) have excelled with bat in hand, while spinners Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad have all kept things tight to prevent opposition teams from putting together monstrous totals.
Considering how even the contributions have been across the board, it’s hard to fault Afghanistan at all, but early wickets will be crucial against Australia’s explosive top order.
Given recent performances, I’m expecting an unchanged XI to be named for this encounter.
Afghanistan Predicted XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Betting Tips
On paper, Australia should win here, but there’s not a lot of value in the head-to-head market. With their full squad to select from, the Aussies are approaching unbackable status, and while Afghanistan have performed exceptionally, it’s hard to see them taking down a full-strength Australia. As such, I’m pivoting to the ‘Most Sixes’ market here. The Australian XI is full of hitting power, with Head, Warner, Marsh and Maxwell all proficient in clearing the rope. On the other hand, the Aussie bowlers should keep Afghanistan’s accumulators in check.
Most Sixes – Australia
$1.40
Player Prop Quick Tips
Afghanistan Top Wicket Taker – Rashid Khan $3.75 (Ladbrokes) – Australia notoriously struggle against high quality spin bowling and Rashid Khan is one of the best in the business. With the ability to deceive batsmen through spin and pace, Khan has taken 7 wickets for the tournament, and he’s a great bet to be the pick of the Afghanistan bowlers on Tuesday.
