ODI World Cup 2023: Can the Afghans upset the World? Predicting Afghanistan's strongest XI

ICC ODI World Cup 2023 is set to kickstart on October 5. India is the host of the tournament and a total of 48 games will be played among 10 teams during the tournament. The ICC World Cup 2023 final is scheduled to be played on November 19. Afghanistan Cricket Board announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023 on September 13 and they will begin their World Cup journey against Bangladesh on October 7.

3 things you need to know

• Afghanistan will play 2 matches each in Delhi and Chennai
• Afghanistan lost all 9 matches in the previous edition of the World Cup
• India vs Afghanistan game will take place on October 11, 2023

READ: ODI World Cup 2023: Afghanistan cricket team's full squad and complete schedule for WC 23

Afghanistan's Predicted World Cup XI

In the opening department, Rahmanullah Gurbaz stands as a rising star with his aggressive approach at the top of the order. Complementing him is the composed Ibrahim Zadran, who offers technical finesse and the ability to rotate the strike effectively. The middle order has versatile players like Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan and Najibullah Zadran and they will be followed by big-hitting all-rounders like Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and then come the tailenders which are most likely to be Mujeeb ur Rahman, Abdul Rahman and Naveen ul Haq.

Afghanistan is likely to play 3 spinners in the turning tracks of Chennai and Delhi where they will back themselves to win the match as the pitches on those stadiums are spin-friendly and they can play 3 proper fast bowlers and 2 spinners backed by all-rounders in their remaining matches.

READ: Rashid Khan's heartbreaking reaction to Afghanistan's painful loss to Sri Lanka goes viral

Afghanistan strongest XI for WC

• Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Ibrahim Zadran
• Hashmatullah Shahidi (c)
• Rahmat Shah
• Najibullah Zadran
• Riaz Hassan
• Mohammad Nabi
• Rashid Khan
• Mujeeb ur Rahman
• Gulbadin Naib
• Naveen ul Haq

Afghanistan squad for ODI World Cup

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq.

Afghanistan schedule for ODI World Cup

• October 7: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, 3rd Match Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala 10:30 AM
• October 11: India vs Afghanistan, 9th Match Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi 2:00 PM
• October 15: England vs Afghanistan, 13th Match Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi 2:00 PM
• October 18: New Zealand vs Afghanistan, 16th Match MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 2:00 PM
• October 23: Pakistan vs Afghanistan, 22nd Match MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai 2:00 PM
• October 30: Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka, 30th Match Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Pune 2:00 PM
• November 3: Netherlands vs Afghanistan, 34th , Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow, 2:00 PM
• November 7: Australia vs Afghanistan, 39th Match, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai 2:00 PM
• November 10 South Africa vs Afghanistan, 42nd Match, Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad 2:00 PM