Afghanistan vs West Indies, Match 42 Prediction 04 Jul 2019

West Indies will take on Afghanistan team in the 40th match of 2019 World Cup at the Headingley in Leeds. West Indies, who had thumped Pakistan by seven wickets in their World Cup opener, has now lost last six games in a row. They are left with only one game against Afghanistan and will aim to end their otherwise disappointing campaign on a high. Though they have been impressive in parts, the side has failed to hold on to their nerves in tight games and ended up enduring heartbreaking losses. In the previous game versus Sri Lanka, West Indies were pretty close in the chase but in the end, Windies felt short by just 23 runs. Nicholas Pooran smashed his maiden ODI century. It’s the third time West Indies came close to a big scalp in recent weeks, after also losing out narrowly to Australia and New Zealand. The major concern for Skipper Jason Holder is inconsistency in their batting and bowling, and that’s the major cause for their failure so far in the event. Few Individual batsmen scored runs in the previous fixtures but there was no regular partnership in batting. But with nothing to lose, the West Indies will be playing for pride and could be unstoppable if their destructive batting line up, comprising power hitters like Chris Gayle, Carlos Brathwaite, and Shai Hope, clicks.  

On the other hand, Afghanistan lost all eight of their previous fixtures in the 2019 world cup. In the last match against Pakistan, they were in the game but bowlers failed to hold their nerve in the end overs. As a result, Pakistan won the game by 3 wickets. Mujeeb ur Rahman and Mohammed Nabi bowled an excellent spell, both picked two wickets and the economy was less than 3.5. In the ongoing tournament, Gulbadin led side are really struggling to fight against top teams in the tournament. The batting has been a big disappointment for Afghanistan so far in this ongoing World Cup. Their batsmen did not show the temperament to set up a decent total. Also, the opponent batsmen didn’t face any resistance from their bowling stars - Rashid Khan and Mohamed Nabi. They have really struggled in English conditions as the opposing teams have been able to get through their overs without much trouble. The Gulbadin Naib-led side will look to finish on a high after being knocked out of the tournament.

The climate in Leeds on Thursday is expected to be partly cloudy. There is no hint for the rain during the course of the game.

Since 1 Jan 2000, 351 is the highest Batting score at this venue, while 285 is the average score. The team batting second after winning toss has a better record at this venue, won 10 times from last 17 games. 

Considering the overcast conditions, there will be an initial movement for the pacer.  Hence, we anticipate the team winning toss will definitely wish to bat second.