(Cricket News) Australia and Afghanistan are set to face each other at the Wankhede Stadium in the 39th match of the Cricket World Cup. The last time these two teams faced each other in an ODI World Cup, Australia beat Afghanistan by 7 wickets.

What to Expect

Australia and Afghanistan are set to face each other in a much awaited clash as their is a bit of history between this teams. Earlier this year, Australia abandoned a bilateral ODI series against Afghanistan due to Taliban’s treatment of women. This caused tension between the two teams and caused the cricket community to buzz online.

Australia need just one more victory to qualify for the semi-finals. Afghanistan need two wins to qualify for their first semi-final of an ICC event and they have a huge mountain to climb as they try to overcome Australia and South Africa.

Match timings

Match toss time: 13:30 IST (11:00 GMT)

Match start time: 14:00 IST (11:30 GMT)

Match venue: Wankhede Stadium

Head-to-Head

Matches played: 3. AUS: 3. AFG: 0.

Notable Stats

Highest Run Scorer: David Warner (291 runs)

Highest Wicket Taker: Mitchell Starc (7 Wickets)

Weather Conditions: 34°C, Sunny

Average first inning score: 247 runs

Team News and Probable Playing XI

Afghanistan (AFG):

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Australia (AUS):

Travis Head, David Warner, Steven Smith, Marnus Labuschagne, Josh Inglis (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood.

Predictions

SpogoNews predicts Australia will beat Afghanistan.

See also: Explaining World Cup Semi-final Scenarios for All Five Teams