Windies beat Afghanistan by 23 runs, end ICC CWC 2019 campaign on a high

West Indies put 311-run target aided by fifties by Lewis, Hope and Pooran. Afghanistan's reply was equally aggressive as Rahmat and Ikram put 132-run stand for the second wicket

2:33 PM

Toss update: Windies win toss, decide to bat

2:30 PM

Pitch report:

The pitch looks hard and seems like a good batting track, the ground is not too short either yet the teams would look to bat first

2:28 PM

Toss update: Toss to take place withing 5 minutes

2:27 PM

Key batsmen for Windies

Chris Gayle, who hasn't had an eventful World Cup so far, would look to ensure that he keeps the crowd entertained. All eyese would be on Nicholas Pooran and Carlos Brathwaite, too.

2:23 PM

Key bowlers for Windies

Sheldon Cottrell would hold they key as Jason Holder and Oshane Thomas could probe useful at Headingley today 

2:21 PM

Here's the playing 11 prediction

West Indies playing 11: Chris Gayle, Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope(w), Nicholas Pooran, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder(c), Carlos Brathwaite, Fabian Allen, Shannon Gabriel, Sheldon Cottrell, Oshane Thomas

 

Afghanistan playing 11: Gulbadin Naib (capt), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

1:02 PM

Here are the squad of both the teams

Afghanistan world cup squad: Gulbadin Naib (c), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah (wk), Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Ikram Ali Khil

West Indies world cup squad: Jason Holder (c), Chris Gayle, Kemar Roach, Darren Bravo, Sunil Ambris, Shai Hope (wk), Sheldon Cottrell, Evin Lewis, Shannon Gabriel, Carlos Brathwaite, Ashley Nurse, Shimron Hetmyer, Fabian Allen, Oshane Thomas, Nicholas Pooran

12:48 PM

Preview

Unable to register even a single win in the ongoing World Cup so far, Afghanistan would aim to end tournament on a high when they face West Indies in their final group stage encounter at Headingley on Thursday.

The Afghanistan team came close to defeat India and Pakistan in their last two matches. However, their inability to cash-in on the crucial junctures of the game denied them with the opportunity of causing what would have been the biggest upsets in this edition of the World Cup.

While the spinners -- Mujeeb ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi -- have lived up to their reputation with consistent performances throughout the tournament, the fast bowlers and the batting unit have failed to contribute significantly to the team's cause, a main reason for their dismal performance so far.

However, against West Indies, they will feel confident as they have beaten them thrice in four completed matches.

West Indies, on the other hand, have failed to produce an all-round performance, barring their opening match victory against Pakistan where they bundled out the Green Brigade for mere 105.

The batsmen have failed to contribute consistently and the bowlers too have been guilty of coming out with only one plan against their opponents, making them almost ineffective on England pitches.

Despite some good individual performances, Windies have failed to put up a significant total due to the lack of partnerships. That's why, skipper Jason Holder will look to inspire his team to play with full intensity in their final game and end what has been a disappointing tournament on a high.