England are set to face Afghanistan in the 13th match of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi today. Under the captaincy of Jos Buttler, England, who experienced a loss in their first match against New Zealand, are coming into this Sunday’s game with a recent win against Bangladesh in Dharamshala. On the other hand, Afghanistan, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, had a defeat against Bangladesh and also suffered another demoralizing loss to the tournament hosts, India. Before the ENG vs AFG match, let’s take a look at the pitch report of the iconic Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Arun Jaitley Stadium Pitch Report
Following the recent pitch renovations, which involved the use of black soil, the playing surface at the Arun Jaitley Stadium appears to be favorable for the batting side. In the two matches held at this venue thus far in the tournament, South Africa achieved the highest total in the history of the ODI World Cup (428), and Sri Lanka managed to score 326 runs in just 44.5 overs in response. Additionally, India successfully chased down a target of 273 runs set by Afghanistan with a substantial 90 balls to spare.
The average first innings score at the Arun Jaitley Stadium stands at 238. Moreover, looking at the overall statistics, it indicates that in the 28 matches played at this venue, teams that have chosen to chase have had a slight advantage with 14 wins compared to 13 for teams batting first, and one match ended without a result. With the likelihood of dew appearing in the later stages of the match, team captains might prefer to choose chasing as their strategy in the upcoming England vs Afghanistan clash on Sunday.
ENG vs AFG: Probable Playing XIs
England: Jonny Bairstow, Dawid Malan, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (c & wk), Liam Livingstone, Sam Curran, Chris Woakes, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood, Reece Topley
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
