West Indies vs. Afghanistan, World T20: Date, Time, TV Info, Preview
West Indies, safe in the knowledge they've qualified for the semi-finals, will look to finish the Super 10s with a perfect record when they face off against Afghanistan at Nagpur.
While the Associate Nation have already been eliminated, they did manage to run England close before falling by 15 runs.
Will the Caribbean Islanders take their eyes off the ball and allow the minnows to spring a huge surprise? Let's take a look at how the two sides are shaping up.
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Date: Sunday, 27 March
Time: 3:00 p.m. local (9:30 a.m. GMT)
Venue: VCA Stadium; Jamtha, Nagpur, India
Live Stream and TV Info: Fox Sports (Australia), DD National/Star Sports (India), GEO Super/PTV Sports (Pakistan), TNL TV (Sri Lanka), Star/Channel 9 (Bangladesh), Life OK (UK), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Yupptv.com (Live streaming service available in Europe).
Weather: According to BBC Weather, a volatile afternoon could be in store with sun, rain and even thunder set to make an appearance.
Overview
Both of these sides were involved in nail-biters last time out, but while the West Indies emerged triumphant, Afghanistan fell to their third consecutive defeat.
Despite these losses, the Afghans haven't been completely outclassed and should give their heavyweight opponents a run for their money here.
Their strength clearly lies in slow bowling, with Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shenwari and Mohammad Nabi (see below) all enjoying the profuse spin on offer in India.
As well as being difficult to get away, this trio have taken 22 wickets between them and will put their opponents under heavy pressure.
Things are less assured with the bat, as only skipper Asghar Stanikzai has managed to pass 50 in the Super 10s phase of the tournament.
If the likes of Stanikzai or the big-hitting Mohammad Shahzad can make a score, the Windies could find themselves under pressure.
From the Caribbean Islanders' point of view, given that they've already qualified for the semi-finals, motivation could be the biggest issue.
Additionally, if Chris Gayle fails, it will be interesting to see how they chase down a testing total.
But to be fair, while Gayle tends to monopolise the headlines, they are far from a one-man side with numerous players who have already chipped in during their campaign so far.
Andre Fletcher and Marlon Samuels have played crucial innings with the bat.
And, like many of the other spinners in the tournament, Samuel Badree and Sulieman Benn have been on fire, delivering miserly yet potent overs.
Backed up by the searing pace of Andre Russell and Dwayne Bravo's bag of tricks, the West Indies should be too much for their lesser opponents...shouldn't they?
T20I head-to-head record and last meeting
The sides have never contested an official T20 International previously, but they did meet in a warm-up game for the 2012 World Twenty20. Thanks to Gayle's 65, the West Indies eased to an easy eight wicket win with over four overs to spare.
Squads
West Indies
Darren Sammy (capt), Samuel Badree, Sulieman Benn, Carlos Brathwaite, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Ashley Nurse, Denesh Ramdin (wk), Andre Russell, Marlon Samuels, Evin Lewis, Jerome Taylor.
Afghanistan
Asghar Stanikzai, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Shafiqullah Shafiq, Amir Hamza, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Sadiq, Mohammad Shahzad, Noor Ali Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Shapoor Zadran, Mirwais Ashraf.
Key Players
West Indies
Yes, it's an obvious choice, but if Gayle finds his range against Afghanistan’s slow bowlers, then it could be carnage. The West Indian savaged England for a brutal 48-ball ton, and, worryingly for the Associate Nation, he's been quiet ever since, including scoring just four against South Africa. If he manages to spend some time at the crease here, then watch out in the crowd.
Afghanistan
While the 17-year-old Rashid Khan has impressed, Mohammad Nabi remains Afghanistan's premium bowler and has looked more than at ease on the big stage. Including the qualifying stages, the off-spinner has delivered 23 overs at a cost of six runs each while picking off 10 wickets in the process. If Nabi can make inroads into the Windies lineup, then who knows what could happen?
Prediction
If the contest comes down to a straightforward bat-off, then the West Indies should triumph with a minimum of fuss. However, if it's another Bunsen, then this could be tight.
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