ICC U19 World Cup, Super League Semi-Final 1, England U19 vs Afghanistan U19: Probable XIs, match prediction, weather forecast and pitch report

Afghanistan U19 cricket team. Courtesy: Cricket World Cup Twitter

England will lock horns with Afghanistan in the Super League semi-final 1 of the ICC Under-19 World Cup on Tuesday, February 1. The Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua, will host the clash.

England, captained by Tom Prest, have looked in good form in the tournament. They topped Group A, winning all three games, and had a stupendous net run rate of 3.005.

They are coming off a six-wicket win over South Africa in the Super League quarter-finals on January 26. Opening batter Jacob Bethell's whirlwind 42-ball knock of 88 helped them chase down a 210-run target with 18.4 overs to spare.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan, captained by Suliman Safi, won two of their three games in Group C to finish second in the points table. In the Super League quarter-finals, they beat Sri Lanka by four runs.

After being asked to bat first, the Afghans scored 134 in 47.1 overs. Abdul Hadi top-scored with a 97-ball-37. Afghanistan reduced Sri Lanka to 43-7. A 64-run stand between Dunith Wellalage and Raveen de Silva gave them an almighty scare, but Afghanistan held their nerves to eventually prevail.

England U19 vs Afghanistan U19 Match Details

Match: England U19 vs Afghanistan U19, 13th Place Playoff, ICC Under-19 World Cup.

Date: February 1, 2022.

Time: 6:30 PM IST.

Venue: Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua.

Pitch Report

The pitch in Antigua has been a fairly decent one. Runs have been fairly easy to come by, while bowlers have had to work hard for wickets. Winning the toss and fielding first should be the preferred option.

Weather Report

There could be some rain in the morning, which could lead to interruptions. Otherwise, it should be mostly sunny during the day. The temperature should be around the 27 degrees Celsius mark.

Probable XIs

England U19

George Thomas, Jacob Bethell, Tom Prest (c), James Rew, William Luxton, George Bell, Rehan Ahmed, Alex Horton (wk), James Sales, Thomas Aspinwall, Joshua Boyden.

Afghanistan U19

Bilal Sayedi, Nangeyalia kharote, Allah Noor, Suliman Safi (c), Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Mohammad Ishaq (wk), Noor Ahmad, Abdul Hadi, Izharulhaq Naveed, Bilal Sami, Naveed Zadran.

Match Prediction

Tom Prest's England have looked in good form in the tournament, having not lost a single game. Although Afghanistan are also in decent form, it could be difficult for them to stop England.