Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey

T20 WC 2021 Match 27: AFG vs NAM Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AFG vs NAM Dream11 Prediction Today | Afghanistan vs Namibia Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

Two sides who no doubt would be very proud with where they are at in their cricketing journey. Time and again, we marvel at Afghanistan’s rise over the past 13 years. Namibia are enjoying their best days as a cricketing nation, and come into this match on the back of three straight wins over Netherlands, Ireland and Scotland respectively.

Eyes will be locked on this crucial game in Group 2 ahead of India’s matchup with New Zealand later in the day. Afghanistan were terrific against Pakistan, fighting hard the whole way despite losing four wickets in the powerplay and six by the halfway point of their innings. In the end, it took some brilliant hitting by Asif Ali to end their challenge, and Mohammad Nabi’s team will be aiming to build on that effort to keep their Semi Finals hopes well and truly alive.

What type of challenge can the Namibians mount? How they play Afghanistan’s superb spin trio will be key to their hopes, as is whether they can make inroads into a dangerous top order. This is set to be Namibia’s biggest challenge since their first up loss to Sri Lanka, so how well they can stay in the game and put Afghanistan under pressure will be key.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Afghanistan:

• Hazratullah Zazai has a fantastic T20 record at Abu Dhabi with 212 runs in five matches at an average of 42.40 and strike rate of 185.96. He missed out against Pakistan at Dubai, but he was excellent in his previous two outings (35-ball 56 in the warm up vs West Indies and 44 off 30 balls vs Scotland).
• Mohammad Shahzad has the potential to take the game away from Namibia. His battle with left-arm seamer Ruben Trumpelmann should make for interesting viewing. Shahzad will be aiming to improve on his record at Abu Dhabi: 8 inns, 185 runs, avg. 23.13, SR 120.92.
• Najibullah Zadran has been in good form in the Super 12s so far: 59 vs Scotland and 22 vs Pakistan. He has a fine record on this ground, with 221 runs in 12 matches at an average of 36.83 and strike rate of 136.42.
• Mohammad Nabi was part of a 71-run stand with Gulbadin Naib against Pakistan. The Afghanistan skipper will be looking to improve on a sub-par record at Abu Dhabi (10 matches, 106 runs, avg. 15.14, SR 141.33). He has seven wickets on this ground at an economy rate of 7.35.
• Rashid Khan will be key, as always. He was superb vs Pakistan (2/26) after a big haul vs Scotland (4/9). The legspinner has taken 29 wickets in 18 matches at Abu Dhabi (econ. 6.29).
• Mujeeb ur Rahman continues to impress. The mystery spinner was player of the match vs Scotland (5/20) and followed it up with an excellent performance vs Pakistan (1/14).

Namibia:

• Craig Williams has a key role to play at the top, especially against Mujeeb. He made a start vs Scotland (23) but struggled for rhythm in his 29 balls at the crease. He will be looking to improve on a sub-par record at Abu Dhabi that reads: 9 inns, 178 runs, avg. 19.78, SR 102.30.
• Gerhard Erasmus will also be key to Namibia’s hopes. He has to overturn a really poor record at Abu Dhabi, made worse by his score of just 4 vs Scotland: 7 inns, 81 runs, avg. 11.57, SR 98.78.
• David Wiese is having a dream tournament. The all-rounder has scored 116 runs so far at an average of 58.00 and strike rate of 154.66. He also has four wickets to his name.
• Wiese’s 114 runs on this ground come at an average of 57.00 and strike rate of 148.05. He also has three wickets, including 1/22 last match vs Scotland.
• JJ Smit has been dismissed just twice in seven matches at Abu Dhabi. His 98 runs come at an average of 49.00 and strike rate of 134.25, which includes an impressive 32* off 23 balls vs Scotland.
• Jan Frylinck has taken seven wickets in his last three matches (2/36, 3/21, 2/10).
• Ruben Trumpelmann will be key against Afghanistan’s top order. The left-arm seamer was brilliant against Scotland on this ground, taking three wickets in the very first over. He finished with 3/17.

Stats and Facts

• This will be the first official T20I between Afghanistan and Scotland.
• Afghanistan have scored at 9.1 runs per over in T20Is in 2021 – the fastest run rate of any team.
• Bernard Scholtz took 3/17 against Afghanistan in a T20 Desert Challenge match in 2017. Rashid Khan took 3/4 and was player of the match.

Possible Playing 11

Afghanistan could look at playing the same XI that lost narrowly to Pakistan.

Afghanistan: 1. Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2. Hazratullah Zazai, 3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 4. Najibullah Zadran, 5. Asghar Afghan, 6. Mohammad Nabi (c), 7. Gulbadin Naib, 8. Karim Janat, 9. Rashid Khan, 10. Naveen-ul-Haq, 11. Mujeeb ur Rahman

Namibia could also look to play the same team that beat Scotland a few nights ago.

Namibia: 1. Craig Williams, 2. Michael van Lingen, 3. Zane Green (wk), 4. Gerhard Erasmus (c), 5. David Wiese, 6. JJ Smit, 7. Jan Frylinck, 8. Pikky Ya France, 9. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, 10. Ruben Trumpelmann, 11. Bernard Scholtz 

Abu Dhabi Pitch Report and Weather

The average first innings score at Abu Dhabi in this World Cup is just 127. The chasing team have won six of the seven matches, with spinners playing a key role.

Another hot day is forecast with a top of about 32 degrees.

Dream11 Prediction

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Note: Teams below are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these teams in time after the final playing XIs have been announced.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

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Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Batsmen: Hazratullah Zazai, Craig Williams
• All-rounders: David Wiese, Jan Frylinck, Mohammad Nabi
• Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Ruben Trumpelmann

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Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

Namibia are enjoying a fine tournament, but Afghanistan should be too strong in these conditions.