WC 2023: Afghanistan (AFG) World Cup Schedule 2023, Time Table, Timings, Dates, Venues Details and PDF Download

Afghanistan. (Photo Source: ACB/Twitter)

The underdogs of yester years can be a force to reckon with in the upcoming edition of the ODI World Cup. Since the entire tournament will be played in India, spinners are likely to get a lot of advantage and thus, players like Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad or even Mohammad Nabi can prove to be really dangerous in the middle.

However, not every game is expected to go in their favour, especially after they failed to deliver in the last few ODI matches that they played in Sri Lanka recently.

The team is very united and has the class to cause a few upsets. Qualifying for the world cup semi-finals looks tough but someone wise enough once said, never say never! Notably, they have a lot of firepower in the batting department, especially with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hashmatullah Shahidi in the mix. Players like Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran and Rahmat Shah can prove to be really valuable as well and thus, there are signs of optimism.

When it comes to the bowling unit, Rashid Khan of course will be the most important player but Naveen-ul-Haq in the recently culminated edition of the Indian Premier League showed that he can create havoc in the middle.

However, for everything to go in their favour, Afghanistan will have to be consistent on the pitch. Kenya did something miraculous in the 2003 ODI World Cup, can Afghanistan recreate something similar? Belief will be the only mantra going forward.

When it comes to their world cup news regarding schedule, the Asian team will take on Bangladesh in their very first match on October 7 in Dharamsala. In their very next match, the team will challenge India on October 11 in Delhi.

They will next take on defending champions England on October 14 at the same venue. After that, they will take on New Zealand on October 18 in Chennai and will play against Pakistan at the same venue on October 23 before squaring off against the Qualifier 2 team on October 30 in Pune. After that, they will lock horns with Qualifier 1, and ultimately battle with Australia and South Africa on November 3, 7 and 10 in Lucknow, Mumbai and Ahmedabad respectively.

Notably, the top four teams on the WC points table will qualify for the semi-finals of the competition, which will take place in Mumbai and Kolkata respectively. Meanwhile, the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad will host the finals on November 19.