Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium, Gros Islet, St Lucia. (Photo Source: X/Twitter)
Afghanistan will take on West Indies at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet, St. Lucia for a match that will not have any consequences on the groupings for the Super 8s. But both teams are currently unbeaten in the competition and will want to conserve momentum in the tournament.
Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea very comprehensively in their last match. Both Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq took two wickets each in the powerplay, and that seemed to completely derail PNG. Having lost five wickets in the powerplay, Kiplin Doriga was the only player who put up a fight with the bat. But it wasn’t enough as PNG were shot out for 95. Afghanistan too lost wickets early, but Gulbadin Naib saw the chase through without further damage.
West Indies found themselves in early trouble from a powerplay barrage from New Zealand where four different bowlers had their say in taking five wickets before even the 7-over mark of the innings. As Tim Southee’s early blows were complemented by Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson, Sherfane Rutherford was the only WI batter who hung on to his wicket, and it looked a little bleak when the 9th wicket fell at the end of the 18th over.
Rutherford then took it upon himself to face every single one of the last 18 balls of the innings and added 37 runs in that phase without losing his wicket as him and Gudakesh Motie (who did not face a single ball), put on the highest 10th wicket partnership in T20 World Cup history. New Zealand’s batting never got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals in a collapse triggered mainly by Alzarri Joseph and Gudakesh Motie in a result that caused New Zealand to crash out of the World Cup.
Daren Sammy Stadium Pitch Report:
In the two matches held so far at the stadium in the ongoing T20 World Cup, this surface has lived up to its reputation as the most batting friendly venue in the Caribbean. The last match here saw the highest total in T20Is ever posted at this venue. This trend is likely to continue.
T20I Stats and Records at Daren Sammy Stadium:
In 20 matches, 10 matches have been won batting first and batting second each. The average first innings total at this venue is 163.
| Matches Played | 20 |
| Matches Won Batting First | 10 |
| Matches Won Batting Second | 10 |
| Tied Matches | 00 |
| Matches With No Result | 00 |
| Highest Team Total | 201/6 |
| Lowest Team Total | 105 |
| Highest Total Successfully Chased | 192 |
| Lowest Total Successfully Defended | 146 |
| Average First Innings Total | 163 |
Strategies & Match-ups for West Indies vs Afghanistan:
Both teams have had less than ideal shows with the bat, but they will be looking forward to the batting friendly surfaces here. Both teams boast of certain hard hitters and this will prove to be an exciting contest albeit inconsequential.
The important match-ups for this match are: Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Alzarri Joseph, Ibrahim Zadran vs Gudakesh Motie, Johnson Charles vs Fazalhaq Farooqi, Nicholas Pooran vs Naveen ul Haq, Rovam Powell vs Rashid Khan.
X-Factors for West Indies vs Afghanistan:
Afghanistan:
On a batting friendly surface, Afghanistan will look up to the services of the highest wicket-taker of this tournament so far, Fazalhaq Farooqi. The West Indies batting has been performing collectively, but Farooqi poses a significant threat even on a batter friendly surface.
West Indies:
West Indies have been performing like a collective unit in this tournament with different players stepping up at different times, but one individual in that camp still strikes fear whenever he is on the field. Andre Russellhas had a relatively quiet tournament so far and will be itching to get a go on a surface as friendly as the one at Gros Islet.