The Afghanistan cricket team captain, Hashmatullah Shahidi, won the toss and chose to bat first against Australia in their World Cup group match at the Wankhede Stadium on Tuesday.
Australia, the five-time champions, had a slow start to the 50-overs showpiece event as they suffered defeats in their first two games. However, a victory over their South Asian rivals would secure their place in the semi-finals.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s three consecutive victories have put them in contention for a spot in the knockout stages. By winning their remaining two fixtures, they would secure a place in the semi-finals.
After missing the win against England, all-rounders Mitch Marsh and Glenn Maxwell returned to the Australian side. However, Steve Smith, who complained of suffering from a bout of vertigo before the match, was ruled out, and Cameron Green was dropped from the team.
Afghanistan also made one change to their lineup from the win over the Netherlands. Seamer Naveen-ul-Haq replaced Fazalhaq Farooqi in the playing eleven.
The teams for the match are as follows:
Australia: Travis Head, David Warner, Mitch Marsh, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Adam Zampa
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Rahmat Shah, Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq
Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly; editing by Ed Osmond
