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Originally Posted by Donal C
I still stand by my point above but I'd like to add to it.
Personally, I think facing Afghanistan first up could be a blessing or a nightmare.
They'll be absolutely pumped up since this is their first ever game at a proper world cup and they know they can beat you. Pace is their strong suit too so if you give them an early wicket they could honestly rip through your batting if you let them as they'll be putting in 120 percent thanks to the occasion.
But, on the other hand it could make them collapse in a heap. As I said when things go against them they just totally fall apart when bowling (which is why we hit 225 vs them in a t20) and they bowl rubbish. Batting wise the occasion will get to their heads I suspect and they shouldnt put up much, unless you make it easy for them.
Much like our match versus the Windies, this game will define your entire world cup I think. A win will give you a pretty big confidence boost plus you'll be in the top 3 of the table, but a loss would destroy your campaign totally I think, as the media campaign against you having test cricket would start up again and you'd be heading into matches vs Aus with zero belief.
Dont know what to expect from this match tbh, two totally unpredictable sides coming against each other. Put them into bat first though and I think they'll fail totally
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Afghanistan is a potential banana peel game. like you said batting first, their pacers definitely have the potential to run havoc in our top order. Afghanistan will be treating this game as a must win game for them since they have already beaten us once before in our own soil. Nonetheless, different venue, different conditions, different day so anything can really happen. We just have to play our best cricket and avoid silly mistakes. Sound Judgement is the key.