Preview: Win is a must but it might not be enough for Australia
The T20 World Cup holders, Australia, sit on the brink of exit from the tournament as they face up against Afghanistan at the Adelaide Oval on Friday.
Currently, the host nation occupies third place in Group 1, behind New Zealand and England, by way of a far inferior net run rate. Heading into Friday's clash, the focus for Aaron Finch's men will be on not just winning but winning big to overturn this deficit.
However, the fact remains that despite Australia's efforts, their future is beyond their control, and Saturday's match between England and Sri Lanka will play the deciding role in who progresses to the knockout stage from the group.
Coming off the back of a comfortable 42-run victory against Ireland that saw captain Aaron Finch's return to form, with a player of the match winning 63 of 44, the hosts will hope that their skipper can once again provide the goods.
On the other end of the spectrum, Afghanistan arrive in Adelaide with nothing to play for but pride. The Group 1 strugglers currently sit bottom of the table after two defeats and two rain-affected fixtures.
If Afghanistan are to cause an upset, Rashid Khan and co will need their batters to step up to the mantle. Having yet to flourish with the bat, Afghanistan cannot rely purely on their bowlers to guide them to victory, especially when facing up against the quality attack that Australia has at their disposal.
Friday's contest will mark just the first meeting between the two sides in a T20I, with the teams' only previous encounters taking place in three ODIs, with Australia having seized victory in all of these matches.
Australia v Afghanistan Preview | Match 38 | T20WC 2022
Preview of the Australia v Afghanistan match at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022.
Australia
Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (wk), Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
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David Warner
Player of the tournament in 2021, Warner has yet to fire at this year's edition, with just 19 runs coming from his three innings.
Chasing a conclusive victory to surge ahead of England on net run rate, a swift start from Warner will be vital if Australia are to pack the pressure on their Ashes rivals.
Rashid Khan
The talisman of the Afghanistan bowling attack, Rashid Khan, will once again play a fundamental role in his side's chances of success against Australia.
With teams so far opting to limit any risk against the Afghan bowler, Khan has taken three wickets and will be looking to finish off his T20 World Cup campaign with a flourish.
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Captaincy Pick: Marcus Stoinis
The Australian all-rounder has been shouldering responsibility in the batting department for the defending champions. Stoinis recorded the joint-fastest half-century in 18 balls, the fastest by an Australian, during their seven-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Perth. Stonis continued his brilliant run with 25-ball 35 against Ireland and also claimed the dismissal of Gareth Delany. Stoinis' batting strike rate of 177.19 is the highest from Australia in this T20 World Cup so far.
Must-have Pick: Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is the secret weapon used by the captain of the team in crunch situations. He tops the charts as the fastest bowler to complete 100 dismissals in T20 Internationals, breaking Lasith Malinga’s long-standing record. Rashid has picked 121 wickets in 73 matches at 14.26 and an economy rate of 6.24. Rashid has picked 92 wickets for Adelaide Strikers at an average of 16.70 in Australia's Big Bash League. In the ongoing T20 World Cup, the Afghanistan leg-spinner has taken three wickets in a couple of games with the latest figures reading 2/31 against Sri Lanka in Brisbane.
Differential Pick: Aaron Finch
Amid an enduring phase with a lack of runs in white-ball formats, Aaron Finch had something to be proud of in this edition at home. He scored 63 in 44 balls against a resurgent Ireland when the other batters from his side merely stepped up. Finch was awarded Player of the Match for his determined knock and is expected to repeat the same against Afghanistan's spin troika. Finch, albeit, suffered a hamstring during Australia's 42-run win over Ireland and his availability for the upcoming match against Afghanistan is yet to be known.