West Indies’ upcoming Group C T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in Gros Islet, St Lucia, on Monday presents an opportunity to witness which team will maintain an unbeaten record in the group stage. Both teams have already secured spots in the Super 8s, rendering this match less of a high-stakes encounter. T20Is have proven to be Afghanistan’s forte, bolstered by a wealth of mystery spinners, notably its skipper Rashid Khan.
Its batting lineup, now capable of both depth and high-paced scoring, poses a significant challenge for the co-host West Indies. Afghanistan will, however, miss Mujeeb Ur Rahman due to a recurring finger injury. Hazratullah Zazai has stepped in as his replacement in the squad.
Despite Mujeeb’s absence, which came after his lone appearance against Uganda, Afghanistan remains confident with replacements like Noor Ahmad, who impressed with economical bowling against Papua New Guinea and New Zealand. The primary challenge facing both teams, many of whose players recently competed in the Indian Premier League, will be managing expectations on Caribbean pitches that haven’t favoured 200-plus scores in this year’s World Cup. They would take a cue from Sherfane Rutherford’s innings against New Zealand in Trinidad, where West Indies struggled for much of the innings, slumping to 30-5 and 76-7 on a two-paced surface.
But Rutherford kept his cool and timed his onslaught to perfection as he took 37 from the last two .
