Afghanistan and West Indies have both been teams that are lying tenth and ninth on the points table respectively, but they have shown glimpses that they are better than what the points table suggests.

They will look to collect some points and end their disappointing campaigns on a high when they face each other in their final World Cup group stage match at Leeds on Thursday. 

While Afghanistan started the World Cup disappointingly with their batting being brittle against Sri Lanka, they have shown signs of improvement and have almost managed to snatch wins against India and Pakistan.

The bowling has started to improve and impress with each passing game and Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been the pick of their bowlers.

Rashid Khan, who has had a poor tournament by his loft standards, also has gotten better as the tournament progressed. 

If they can sort out their batting and put on a decent total, the bowlers should be able to defend it.

Gulbadin Naib’s effort with the bat and the ball has been an honest one, but with mismanagement in the background with their previous captain Asghar Afghan being removed as captain, the team hasn’t always performed as a unit.

Add to that, their lack of experience in big moments and some tactical errors from the captain have also not helped their cause.  

The Windies on the other hand started the World Cup with a lot of promise and hope when they won big against Pakistan, thanks to an excellent fast bowling display, but from there the fire has fizzled out and they have become increasingly one-dimensional.

The knee injury to their talisman Andre Russell hasn’t helped them, and their big-hitting opener Chris Gayle also hasn’t been at his destructive best.  

Shai Hope was expected to be the person that held the innings together but even he has found runs difficult to come by in recent matches. 

Although they have had centuries from Nicholas Pooran and Carlos Brathwaite, the others have failed to stand up and build partnerships and a team effort with the bat has been lacking, especially during run-chases.

The bowling has been good in parts with Sheldon Cottrell and Jason Holder being consistent.

But the others have not been at their best, and have been bereft of ideas when the short-pitch bowling plan hasn’t come good.

These two teams have met five times in ODI’s and Afghanistan actually have won three games and lost just one match with one game being a no result. 

The last time the two teams battled each other was in the final for World Cup qualification where Afghanistan emerged victorious.  

Teams

The Windies could and should go with the same lineup they had against Sri Lanka, where they chased quite well, only to fall short once again. Kemar Roach was carrying a niggle but he had a full training session ahead of the match and should be fit. If not, Shannon Gabriel can always come in. 

West Indies’ Probable XI: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Sunil Ambris, 3 Shai Hope (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Jason Holder (capt), 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Fabian Allen, 9 Sheldon Cottrell, 10 Oshane Thomas, 11 Kemar Roach/Shannon Gabriel

Sayed Shirzad could be brought into the team with Hamid Hasan picking up an injury and possibly playing his last international match. Apart from that, it should be the same team that almost managed to defeat Pakistan in their last game. 

Afghanistan’s Probable XI: 1 Rahmat Shah, 2 Gulbadin Naib (capt), 3 Hashmatullah Shahidi 4 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 5 Asghar Afghan, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Najibullah Zadran, 8 Samiullah Shenwari, 10 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 11 Sayed Shirzad

Pitch and Weather

That dreadful rain - which ruined a record four games this World Cup - is on the horizon for the evening, though during the day it should stay clear.

The pitch is supposed to be good for batting although we have seen it get slower and more difficult to chase, later on.

With rain and the struggles both teams have had chasing, they might want to bat first.