Afghanistan v Australia preview, player tips & predictions

Australia vs Aghanistan betting predictions and preview

MATCH INFO
Afghanistan v Australia
Venue: County Ground Bristol, 1.30pm (British time); 10.30pm (AEST), 5pm (Afghanistan time)
Head to head odds: Australia $1.10; Afghanistan $7
Last time they met: Australia 6-417 d Afghanistan 142 (37.3 overs; ) in Perth, 2015 World Cup.


Australia are expected to start their quest for six ICC World Cup title with a comfortable win against the improving Afghanistan side in their opener in Bristol.

The last time these teams met Australian left-hander David Warner plundered 178 from 133 balls at the WACA Ground as the home team thrashed the newcomers.

While they have come a long way since, and they have a couple of super spinners, this is still a daunting assignment for Afghanistan on probably the highest-scoring ground in this tournament.

The straight boundaries measure not much more than 50 metres, meaning any half-decent connection is going for six, and Australia have just the batsmen in the likes of Warner, Steve Smith, Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell to take advantage.

The West Indies scored 421 at this ground in a warm-up match last week, and that was against the handy New Zealand attack.

This would be a good toss for Afghanistan to win.

We do not see the head-to-head betting as a viable option on this match with the $1.10 available about Australia with William Hill a little short for our taste.

But there are plenty of other betting options and this Afghanistan-Australia
betting preview
will run you through a few of them for match 4 of 48 of the ICC World Cup 2019.

Afghanistan v Australia odds:

HEAD TO HEAD BETTING:
Afghanistan: $7, Australia: $1.10
Prediction: Australia to win, paying $1.10 with William Hill.

TOP RUN-SCORER BETTING:

Afghanistan:
Top five in betting: Hazratullah Zazai $4.33, Rahmat Shah $4.50, Mohammad Shahzad $4.50, Asghar Afghan $6, Noor Ali Zadran $7

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v Ireland: Mohammad Shahzad 101
v Ireland: Asghar Afghan 29
v Scotland: Rahmat Shah 113
v Ireland: Asghar Afghan 82
v Ireland: Mohammad Nabi 64

Australia:
Top five in betting: David Warner $3.75, Aaron Finch $4, Usman Khawaja $4.33, Steve Smith $5, Shaun Marsh $6.50.

Top scorers from past five ODIs:
v Pakistan: Usman Khawaja 98
v Pakistan: Glenn Maxwell 98
v Pakistan: Aaron Finch 90
v Pakistan: Aaron Finch 153no
v Pakistan: Aaron Finch 116

Top batter prediction: For Australia, we can’t go past Aaron Finch, who has emerged from a worrying form slump in great style. Back Aaron Finch with William Hill at $4. For Afghanistan, Asghar Afghan looks a solid option.

TOP WICKET-TAKER BETTING:

Afghanistan:
Top five in betting: Rashid Khan $2.50, Mujeeb Ur Rahman $4.50, Mohammad Nabi $5, Hamid Hassan $5.50, Dawlat Zadran $5.50, Gulbadin Naib $6.50

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v Ireland: Gulbadin Naib 6-43
v Ireland: Dawlat Zadran 3-35, Aftab Alam 3-28
v Scotland: Gulbadin Naib 3-72
v Ireland: Zahir Khan 2-55
v Ireland: Aftab Alam 4-25

Australia:
Top five in betting: Mitchell Starc $3.50, Pat Cummins $3.75, Nathan Coulter-Nile $4.33, Kane Richardson $4.50, Jason Behrendorff $4.50, Adam Zampa $4.50

Top wicket-takers from past five ODIs:
v Pakistan: Jason Behrendorff 3-63
v Pakistan: Nathan Coulter-Nile 3-53
v Pakistan: Adam Zampa 4-43
v Pakistan: Jhye Richardson 2-16, Nathan Coulter-Nile 2-52
v Pakistan: Nathan Coulter-Nile 2-61

Top bowler tip: Rashid Khan is a world-class player but the $2.50 looks a little skinny as he is well exposed to the Australians having played a couple of seasons in the Big Bash League, so maybe a small bet on Gulbadin Naib at the good odds. For Australia, take your pick out of the pacemen Starc and Cummins as we expect them to launch an early barrage.

WGL best bets: Afghanistan v Australia

Each of our ICC World Cup betting previews will highlight some potential wins for punters, or where our cricket tipsters think there is value to be found.

Australia to score most sixes and win:

A match special at William Hill and if Australia can hit more sixes and also win the match, it pays $1.53. That’s a lot more attractive then the $1.10 on offer for simply winning.

Aaron Finch man of the match:

If you are feeling a little more adventurous you could do worse than back the Australian opener at $7 to be man of the match. He is in rare form again and likes to hit straight, which is perfect for this tiny ground. He could do some serious damage if he gets started.

Afghanistan v Australia prediction

On paper this looks like a comfortable start for the Australians. They have come back to form with a string of eight ODI wins and looked in good nick in a couple of warm-up wins, including against tournament favourites England. They could rack up a big score batting first, but keep in mind Afghanistan are likely to bat first if they win the toss.

ALSO READ:
ICC World Cup 2019 betting guide
ICC World Cup 2019 leading wicket-taker
Cricket betting sites
ICC World Cup 2019 leading run-scorer
ICC World Cup 2019 player of tournament

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