T20 World Cup’22, AFG vs ENG: England 113 for 5 (Livingstone 29*) beat Afghanistan 112 (Curran 5-10) by five wickets

A five-wicket victory over Afghanistan has launched England’s World Cup campaign.

One of the favourites for the tournament gave a performance that was very much split in two. They were outstanding on the field, supporting Jos Buttler’s decision to bowl first by dismissing Afghanistan for 112 with Sam Curran’s superb 5 for 10, making him the first Englishman to score five for in a Twenty20 International.

However, a sluggish chase marred what could have been a flawless performance. They were 65 for 3 at one point in the 11th over, but they only managed to clear the fence once and missed the opportunity to seal this victory with a significant increase in net run rate.

Curran made headlines with his career-best numbers and was even on a hat-trick when he bowled out Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai off the last two balls of the 18th over. He didn’t score a hat trick, but he did get three out of four when Usman Ghani hit Liam Livingstone for one at deep point in the 20th over.

Livingstone’s first response, if that was a basic one, was on the opposite end of the spectrum: after Hazratullah Zazai attempted to tie Ben Stokes to the fence, charging out from the cover boundary and making a stunning, diving catch at the backward point. After that, Stokes picked up another wicket thanks to Adil Rashid’s similar outfield brilliance, this time. Chris Woakes (1 for 24) relied on intelligence to leave Mohammad Nabi’s team well short of a par score, while Mark Wood also claimed two with a four-over spell at an average speed of 149 kilometres per hour.

The manner in which England struggled, particularly against Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Nabi, indicated that a few kinks still needed to be worked out, despite the fact that achieving the 113 target was always anticipated. With just one boundary between them, the spin trio managed to pick up one wicket each. In the end, Buttler’s team prevailed due to their depth of batting, with Liam Livingstone remaining unbeaten on 29 off 21—the only English batsman to score double figures at more than a run per ball—and Moeen Ali (8 off 10) as company.

Wood cranks it up, again

Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s outside edge was taken by Wood’s first ball, which veered away from 91 mph. Ibrahim Zadran was greeted by the second, which reached 96 mph. It is safe to say that Wood did not play games. At this World Cup, a lot has been said about his pace, and even more about how different he is from the English attack. Wood did a fantastic job living up to the hype and expectations, and that brought its own pressure.

From a statistical standpoint, the two wickets for 23 are what matter, but the other figures are jaw-dropping. He looks as fresh and consistent as ever, which is a credit to the man himself and the medical team, who have worked tirelessly to help him reach a level England has never experienced.

Fielding focus

His fielding was one aspect of the conversation with Stokes that punctuated discussions on selection issues prior to this first match. His fielding would be crucial in Australia, regardless of his bat or ball position: his cannon arm, his speed across those vast green areas, and, of course, his hands. He actually did a great job with the ball (2 for 19), but he didn’t do much with the bat (2 off 4), and he was mostly a spectator in the field. The last part occurred because his companions made the stunning grabs this time. Livingstone and Adil Rashid replicated Glenn Phillips’ earlier worldie against Australia with impressive running and diving catches. The cherry on top was Buttler’s one-handed Superman catch, and even Alex Hales’ late, sprawling drop could be considered a boundary save. The batting of England is without a doubt their greatest strength, followed closely by their fielding.

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Afghanistan botch upset

The collapse to five for three off the final 12 deliveries of their innings, the runs off Alex Hales on four and 17 (he was eventually run out for 19), and the fact that England did not have to take risks against their spinners, as Rashid Khan only scored one boundary in four overs. You can see why Afghanistan’s strategy has been to defend at the toss since Nabi stated he wanted to do so. However, it’s also understandable why their fans might regret what could have been. An underwhelming, borderline naive approach with the bat was largely to blame for England’s failure to capitalise on an opportunity. An additional 20 runs would have made a big difference considering how the game ended in the last hour.