World Cup 2019 Aus vs Afg: How to watch

Afghanistan is a team that was relatively unknown some ten years back. However, it has emerged like a Phoenix from the ashes. The war-torn country has found recluse in the game of cricket, and they have excelled at it. So much so that they are going to play their first ODI World Cup match in the 2019 edition against none other than five-time champion Australia.

This rise is nothing short of meteoric. They go into the first match as underdogs and minnows. But with the likes of Rashid Khan, Nabi and Mujib Ur Rahman in their ranks, the team is more than capable of packing a punch as they showed against Pakistan in their warm-up match, beating the latter by 3 wickets.

Australia, on the other hand, are in a marauding form. They have the mettle of champions and it is evident by the fact that they have peaked at the right time. They were 0-2 down in their ODI series against India in India, and from that situation, they won the series. They thrashed Pakistan 5-0 in Abu Dhabi. And they signalled a final warning by winning both the warm-up matches. The return of Steve Smith, who showed glimpses of old form in the warm-up matches, and of David Warner, who raked up truckloads of runs in the recently-concluded IPL, will bolster their batting line up, giving them added impetus.

Match timing: 6 PM (IST)

Where to watch: Star Sports 1 , Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi , Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Bangla. For online platform, viewers can avail Hotstar.

Pitch report and conditions: County Ground can prove to be a double-paced pitch. Afghanistan won against Pakistan in this ground, and their spinner played a crucial role in it, hinting some dryness in the pitch. Or it can be a flat batting deck, enabling batsmen to free their hands. As was seen in West Indies' victory against New Zealand here in which the former amassed 421 runs. Toss can play a crucial role in this match.

Team news: Australia have a full squad to choose from after the returning David Warner was declared fit to play against Afghanistan.

Possible XI:

Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (capt), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Aftab Alam

Australia: Aaron Finch (c), David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Shaun Marsh, Alex Carey (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Jason Behrendorff, Adam Zampa.

Betting odds: Afghanistan 36/5, Australia 1/10