CWC 2019: The damage that Afghanistan can inflict in the tournament

The prestigious quadrennial tournament - Cricket World Cup - starts today as England and South Africa gear up for the opening match at The Oval in the capital city of England. Every team races into the tournament after having gone through the warm-up games, and each one of them, as they enter the battle ring, will hope to utilize the experiences in their approaching league games.

Building up the stage for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, we have spoken loads about the probable semifinalists, finalists, and favorites of the tournament. However, Afghanistan happens to be a one-off team whose exploits remain to be acknowledged. Hence, in this article, we will discuss the damage that Afghanistan can do in the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

Afghanistan's journey in the context of international cricket is nothing short of a fairytale story. Coming from an ill-famous backdrop of terrorism, Afghanistan has fought hard to become a Full Member under the ICC. And much so, after winning the 2018 ICC World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe, Afghanistan made a statement that they aren't here to merely promote the game but to compete as well.

Afghanistan arrived in England, for the 2019 Cricket World Cup, after a decent show in Scotland and Ireland as they won two-match series against Scotland 1-0 and levelled the two-match series against Ireland 1-1.

More so, after having arrived in England, the Afghanistani team had to play two of their warm-up matches against Pakistan and England. Pending their balanced show with the bat and the ball, Afghanistan won their first warm-up game against Pakistan by three wickets. However, they had to witness a heavy 9-wicket defeat against the Englishmen in the second warm-up game.

Nonetheless, with a win against Pakistan, Afghanistan made a point clear that with the kind of options in their squad, they can give any team a run for their money. Afghans don't call for an intimidating opposition, however, on any given day, if they strike a balance with the bat and the ball anything can happen.

The success of their 2019 Cricket World campaign will depend on how their middle-order and the fast-bowling department will phase out in the course of the tournament. Afghanistan's over-reliance on their spinners and Mohammad Shahzad will not necessarily solve the puzzle for them, and more importantly, other guys will have to turn up and perform for the team if ever they want Afghanistan to end the World Cup with loads of positives.

Nevertheless, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman's exploits will surely help them in the case of dry conditions. And these young spinners, on dry pitches, will undoubtedly create a ruckus for most of the batsmen. Thus, judicious use of Rashid and Mujeeb will be the key for the Afghans in the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Besides, a combined effort from the batsmen will make things better for them.

Afghanistan will surely be a tough nut to crack for Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and West Indies. Moreover, one or two upsets will at least help Afghanistan to create an imbalance, if not to qualify for the semifinals, in the points table which will keep the tournament open until the final league game.

Thus, weighing the damages that Afghanistan can do in this World Cup, it will be interesting to see how the Afghans will go about their business in the tournament.