Putting my picks out in public! This should end well and not embarrass me once, no, there’s no chance of that. (Prepares to delete entire site if I get three losses in a row.)
How This Works!
This post is set to go before each match. I briefly breakdown the batting and bowling attack of each squad and how they relate to each other before selecting who I think is going to win. Because cricket can be won by a number of wickets (if you’re chasing) or runs (if you’re defending), I’m simply going to select who I think is going to win outright, not in the manner, or by how many runs, they’re going to win by. Makes sense? (Quickly moves on before acknowledging any questions) Great! Let’s get started!
Bowling:
Australian Bowlers/All Rounders: Jason Behrendorff, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Kane Richardson, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis
Afghanistan Bowlers/All Rounders: Gulbadin Naib ©, Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shinwari
ICC Ranking Average: (Measured by taking the top 5 bowlers in ICC’s player ratings. Those 5 rankings are then averaged out. The lower the number, the better.)
Australia:
- Cummins: 6
- Starc: 22
- Zampa: 43
- Coulter-Nile: 47
- Lyon: 50
- Avg: 33
Afghanistan:
- Khan: 3
- ur Rahmen: 10
- Nabi: 20
- Dawlet: 55
- Naib: 58
- Avg: 29
Breakdown: I see your rankings, ICC, but in this case, I’m still going to have to back Australia. Rashid Khan is the best in white ball cricket right now, there’s little room for debate there. Starc’s ranking comes from his lack of recent play due to injuries. I’d take him over anybody, outside of Khan, if in need of a bowler.
Advantage: Australia
Batting:
Australian Batters/All Rounders: Aaron Finch ©, Alex Carey, Usman Khawaja, Shaun Marsh, Steve Smith, David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis
Afghanistan Batters/All Rounders: Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor ali Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shinwari
ICC Ranking Average: (Measured by taking the top 5 batters in ICC’s player ratings. Those 5 rankings are then averaged out. The lower the number, the better.)
Australia:
- Finch: 11
- Khawaja: 21
- Maxwell: 24
- Stonis: 37
- Marsh: 44
- Avg: 27
Afghanistan:
- Shahzad: 38
- Shah: 40
- Nabi: 55
- Najibullah Zadran: 68
- Shahidi: 80
- Avg: 56
Breakdown: The clearest of advantages for Australia. Even excluding Smith and Warner in the rankings because of their lack of play due to suspension, Australia dominates.
Advantage: Australia.
Final Prediction: Australia wins by a large margin.
A final bold and likely dumb call: David Warner goes for a half century (58, to be exact) in this World Cup debut. Why not? I don’t expect this match to be too interesting, so let’s try and have some fun with it.
The American Slogger 