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T20 World Cup: SA vs Afghanistan, Australia vs Ireland, England vs WI Previews

Afghanistan aims for its first win of the tournament against South Africa, a team that started strongly with a victory over Canada. Defending champions Australia begin their campaign against an Ireland side looking to bounce back from an opening loss. Meanwhile, England and West Indies, both coming off opening wins, will clash in a high-stakes Group C match. All three fixtures are set for Wednesday, promising a thrilling day of T20 World Cup action.

Key Points: T20 WC Match Previews: SA vs AFG, AUS vs IRE, ENG vs WI

  • Afghanistan seeks first win vs SA
  • Australia begins title defense vs Ireland
  • England faces WI after narrow Nepal win
  • All three matches scheduled for Wednesday
4 min read

T20 WC: SA vs Afghanistan, Australia vs Ireland and England vs WI - Match previews

Preview key T20 World Cup clashes: South Africa vs Afghanistan, Australia vs Ireland, and England vs West Indies. Get squad details, form, and head-to-head records.

"Any team that takes Afghanistan lightly will be quickly put in their place."

New Delhi, Feb 10

Afghanistan will be looking to open their account in the T20 World Cup when they take on last edition's runners-up, South Africa, in a Group D clash on Wednesday at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad.

Any team that takes Afghanistan lightly will be quickly put in their place. Not only did they beat New Zealand at the last T20 World Cup, as has been mentioned, but their victory over Australia set up their epic run to the semi-final stage.

In their campaign opener against New Zealand, they suffered a five-wicket loss at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai but will look to turn around their fortune in Ahmedabad.

Afghanistan squad: Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Abdullah Ahmadzai, Sediqullah Atal, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen Ul Haq, Mohammad Ishaq Rahimi, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darwish Rasooli, Ibrahim Zadran. Reserves: AM Ghazanfar, Ijaz Ahmad Ahmadzai, Zia Ur Rahman Sharifi

South Africa, meanwhile, began their campaign with a 56-run win over Canada. The Proteas are arguably the best cricketing nation yet to win a Men's T20 World Cup, alongside - coincidentally - Group D rivals New Zealand.

South Africa squad: Aiden Markram (c), Corbin Bosch, Dewald Brevis, Quinton de Kock, Marco Jansen, George Linde, Keshav Maharaj, Kwena Maphaka, David Miller, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Jason Smith, Tristan Stubbs

Head-to-head record between South Africa and Afghanistan

Total matches played - 3

SA won: 3

Afghanistan won: 0

Both teams' performance in their last 5 matches

South Africa: L, W, W, L, W

Afghanistan: W, W, W, L, L

Australia vs Ireland

2021 champions Australia will begin their campaign against Ireland, who will be eye to get their first win of this edition after losing the campaign opener against Sri Lanka.

Australia's form leading in has been patchy, but in theory, they have a draw that could offer a pivotal build-up of rhythm to start working their way into the tournament.

Mitchell Marsh leads the team like he did two years ago when the Aussies' run ended in the Super Eight stage. Marsh was central to Australia's only title-winning run in 2021, when he smashed an unbeaten 77* in the final against New Zealand.

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa.

Ireland have been a mainstay at the T20 World Cup for most of its existence, dating right back to the tournament's second edition. A surprise trip to the Super Eight stage isn't totally beyond them; back in 2022 they beat eventual champions England after advancing to the Super 12 stage in what was a slightly different format to the current one.

Ireland squad: Paul Stirling (c), Mark Adair, Ross Adair, Ben Calitz, Curtis Campher, Gareth Delany, George Dockrell, Matthew Humphreys, Josh Little, Barry McCarthy, Harry Tector, Tim Tector, Lorcan Tucker, Ben White, Craig Young

Head-to-head record between Australia and Ireland

Total matches played: 2

Aus won: 2

Ireland won: 0

Both teams performance in their last 5 matches

Australia: L, NR, L, L, L

Ireland: W, L, W, W, L

England vs West Indies

After winning their respective campaign openers, England and West Indies will lock horns in a Group C game on Wednesday at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

England survived a major Nepal scare in a narrow four-run win in their opening match of the tournament.

England and the West Indies are two of three sides to have won this tournament twice, while the Windies moved past defeated Scotland comfortably by 35 runs.

England squad: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Sam Curran, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Josh Tongue, Luke Wood

West Indies squad: Shai Hope (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd

Head-to-head record between England and West Indies

Total matches played: 38

England won: 19

West Indies won: 18

No result: 1

Performance of both teams in their last 5 matches

England: NR, W, W, W, W

West Indies: W, L, L, W, W

- IANS

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Reader Comments

S
Sarah B
As a neutral fan watching from the US, the England vs West Indies match looks like the most exciting on paper. Both teams are in form and have so much power-hitting talent. Should be a run-fest at Wankhede!
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Arjun K
South Africa's record against Afghanistan is 3-0, but this is T20 cricket and anything can happen. The Proteas need to be careful, especially against their spinners. Markram's captaincy will be tested. Good preview article, but could have included more about the pitch conditions in Ahmedabad.
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Priya S
Australia's form is a bit worrying with those recent losses. But they are champions for a reason. Mitchell Marsh needs to lead from the front. Ireland can be tricky on their day, so Aussies shouldn't take them lightly. Exciting day of cricket ahead! 🏏
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Vikram M
The Windies look dangerous this year! After their win against Scotland, they'll be full of confidence. Shai Hope leading a team with Hetmyer, Holder, and Powell... that's serious firepower. England barely escaped against Nepal, so this could be a close one. Ya, mon!
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Karthik V
Good to see all the squads listed here. Afghanistan's squad looks balanced. But honestly, the real test for them is handling pressure in a big stadium like the Narendra Modi Stadium. The crowd might be pro-Afghanistan, which could help. Let's see if they can finally beat SA.

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