England look to get closer to semis, Afghanistan aim revival
Struck by a series of injury setbacks, England will look to get the combination right when they take on the low-ranked but spirited Afghanistan in their bid get closer to a semi-final berth, in Manchester, on Tuesday.
The hosts are struggling with fitness issues, the latest being captain Eoin Morgan having to leave the field with a back spasm during the game against the West Indies.
Opening batsman Jason Roy was also forced off the field during the same match due to a tight hamstring and has been ruled out of the game on Tuesday and Friday (against Sri Lanka).
Himself in doubt for the Afghanistan game, Morgan insisted there is no need to hit the panic button just yet. His fitness will be monitored over the next 24 hours before the final call is take on his participation on Tuesday.
"It is sore. I have had back spasms before and it normally takes a few days to settle down. It is unclear, we will know more in the next 24 hours. You normally get a good indication the following day," Morgan said after the victory against West Indies.
In case Morgan isn't fully fit, vice captain Jos Buttler is likely to lead the team which boasts of a strong bench strength that includes the likes of Tom Curran and Moeen Ali.
After suffering a shock loss to Pakistan, England have got their act together, excelling in all three departments and the hosts will want to continue riding on the winning momentum.
On the other hand, Afghanistan will be eager to post their first win in the ongoing 50-over showpiece.
Playing in their second World Cup, the bottom-placed Afghanistan lost all four of their matches till now to South Africa, Australia, Sri Lanka and New Zealand respectively.
However, the players from the war-torn nation can take confidence from the fact that they almost pulled off a win against Sri Lanka.
The main concern will be batting as Afghanistan are yet to play out 40-plus overs in any of their games.
They made an encouraging start against South Africa, with openers Hazratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran watchfully negotiating the early overs but failed to capitalise on that.
The rest of the team couldn't reach double digits apart from Rashid Khan, who once again showed that he is shaping up to be a talented all-rounder.
The conditions, and whether the wicket supports spin, will play a crucial for the Afghans who rely heavily on their tweakers Rashid and Mohammad Nabi to get them the breakthroughs.
England's Roy to miss next two World Cup games with hamstring tear
England batsman Jason Roy has been ruled out of their next two World Cup matches after tearing his hamstring in Friday's win over West Indies while captain Eoin Morgan's back problem will be monitored, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said.
Opener Roy, who left the field early in West Indies' innings and did not bat, will miss the matches against Afghanistan on Tuesday and Sri Lanka on Friday.
"Jason Roy... underwent an MRI scan on Saturday in London. The MRI confirmed that Roy has suffered a hamstring tear. As a result of the injury, he will be reassessed on an ongoing basis this week," the ECB said in a statement.
Roy had come into the contest on the back of a superb 153 against Bangladesh at Cardiff but his replacement as opener Joe Root impressed with an unbeaten century that sealed an eight-wicket win for the hosts.
There was better news for England regarding skipper Morgan, who suffered a back spasm in the West Indies match.
"The spasm has settled down and (he) will be monitored over the next 24 hours ahead of the next match against Afghanistan at Old Trafford," the ECB added.
England are fourth in the table with six points from four matches.
Squads:
England: Eoin Morgan, Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes,James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood.
Afghanistan: 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.
Match starts at 3pm IST
