Afghanistan U19 vs Australia U19 prediction: Who will win the U19 World Cup 2022 match?

Afghanistan and Australia will lock horns in the 3rd Place Playoff of the U19 World Cup 2022 on Friday, February 4, at the Coolidge Cricket Ground in Antigua.

The Afghans, led by Suliman Safi, have been pretty impressive in the ongoing tournament, although they failed to qualify for the final. To start with, they finished second in the table in Group C after beating Zimbabwe and Papua New Guinea (PNG).

But in the semi-final, England defeated them by 15 runs (DLS Method) at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium. After opting to bat first in the 47-over rain-curtailed game, England scored 231 for six on the back of fifties from George Thomas, George Bell and Alex Horton.

England were straining at one point in time with their score at 136 for six. But a 95-run partnership for the seventh wicket between Bell and Horton brought them back into the contest. Naveed Zadran and Noor Ahmad picked up two wickets for the Afghans.

Mohammad Ishaq and Allah Noor's 93-run stand for the second wicket helped Afghanistan stay in the game, but England didn't lose their nerves. Noor top-scored for them with a 87-ball knock of 60.

Abdul Hadi and Bilal Ahmad scored in their 30s, but their efforts weren't enough for the Afghans to win. Rehan Ahmed picked up four wickets in six overs to take England into the final.

Australia, led by Cooper Connolly, on the other hand, will go into the match after losing to India by 96 runs in the Super League semi-final on February 2. After electing to bat first, India notched a mammoth score of 290 for the loss of five wickets.

Shaikh Rasheed's 94 and Yash Dhull's 110 led the charge for the Boys in Blue. Dinesh Bana also smashed 20 runs off four balls and propelled India close to the 300-run mark. Jack Nisbet and William Salzmann picked up two wickets apiece for the Aussies.

Lachlan Shaw scored 51 runs in Australia's run-chase, but his team folded for 194 in 41.5 overs. Campbell Kellaway and Corey Miller scored 30 and 38 runs respectively. Vicky Otswal picked up three wickets for India.

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Will Afghanistan (AF-U19) beat Australia (AU-U19)?

Afghanistan U19 team. Courtesy: Cricket World Cup Twitter

The Afghans have put in spirited efforts thus far in the tournament and the Aussies may not find it easy to get past them. Their bowlers have been exceptional so far and opposition batters have had to grind. The team, batting first, should be able to secure a victory, and thereby the third position.

Prediction: The team, batting first, to win the match.