Afghanistan vs West Indies – 1st T20 International Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Afghanistan vs West Indies taking place? Thursday, November 14th (13:30 UK time)
Where is Afghanistan vs West Indies taking place? Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow
What is the expected weather for Afghanistan vs West Indies? 28c and sunshine forecast
What channel is Afghanistan vs West Indies on? This match will not be televised live in the UK
Where can I stream Afghanistan vs West Indies? This match can be streamed live for users that have a Betfair account
Where can I get tickets for Afghanistan vs West Indies? Tickets for this match can be purchased directly from the stadium
LAST MEETING
West Indies beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
AFGHANISTAN
- Afghanistan come into their preferred format of the game after defeat in the one-day series which was somewhat disappointing as the Windies had the measure of them throughout and they will have to improve notably in this three-match T20 series.
- The team is likely to be very similar to that which played in the ODI series although they may be tempted to make one or two changes including the return of Gulbadin Naib who offers some big hitting down the order as well as being a reasonable bowling option.
- The spinners have been particularly disappointing in the ODI series with skipper Rashid Khan unusually struggling so they will be hoping he can regain some form in the shorter format and put the Windies under more pressure - which was hardly the case at any stage in the ODIs.
WEST INDIES
- The Windies come into this T20 series full of confidence after winning their first ODI series since 2014, so now their attentions focus to the shorter format of the game with head coach Phil Simmons starting to build towards next year’s World Cup.
- There will likely be many of the same faces from the ODI squad and, after outstanding Caribbean Premier League campaigns, Brandon King and Khary Pierre could both be handed opportunities to impress as Simmons’ squad marks something of a new era with some of their veterans like Gayle, Russell and Brathwaite left out of the squad.
- Lendl Simmons, Sherfane Rutherford, Fabian Allen and Denesh Ramdin all come into this squad after missing out in the ODIs, and there is a chance the first three of those will start and form what looks to be a formidable batting line-up.
- UPDATE: Nicholas Pooran has been suspended for four T20 international matches after being found guilty of ball tampering, so Denesh Ramdin is expected to come into the side for this match.
THE PREDICTION
This T20 series really does look like a battle between West Indies’ formidable batting line-up and Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb and Nabi. The Windies' batting has incredible depth and the very fact that they dealt well on the whole with the spin attack in the one-day internationals will give them confidence that they go do the same in the T20s. Afghanistan will be confident that they can be more competitive in this format of the game, but the general dynamic around the Afghan camp appears negative at the moment. The Windies revival under Phil Simmons can continue here and another win for the tourists is on the cards.
