England reached the semifinal of the T20 World Cup last year but bowed out after a close defeat to New Zealand. They recently won a seven-match T20I series against Pakistan and then trumped Australia Down Under, and will be high on confidence. Afghanistan put on a brave show in the 2022 Asia Cup, where they reached the second round, and will be looking to cause a few upsets in Group One of the tournament.

Head-to-head record

Overall: ENG 2-0 AFG
Last 5: ENG 2-0 AFG

ENG v AFG Dream11 fantasy tips

Jos Buttler will be a popular player, and not without reason. He scored a couple of 60s against Australia and was in fine form in the 2021 T20 World Cup and the 2022 IPL. The fact that he keeps wicket and can earn points with the gloves further makes him a must-have.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz should be the first name from Afghanistan in the team. Gurbaz has five fifties in the format in 32 games, with a strike rate of over 138. He will also fetch points with the gloves.

It’s tricky as far as Rashid Khan is concerned. The spinner has been economical this year but has 15 wickets in as many games as batters look to play him out instead. With Dream11 favouring wicket-takers, Rashid’s selection puts us in a dilemma, but his batting should tilt the odds. Ben Stokes, a dangerous player, has not made a fifty in his last 37 T20Is and has 10 wickets in his last 12 innings.

Liam Livingstone has been selected by only 37% users and can be a differential pick. He can strike big and even send down a couple of overs.

Probable XI for ENG vs AFG

England: Alex Hales, Jos Buttler (c/wk), Dawid Malan, Ben Stokes, Liam Livingstone, Harry Brook, Moeen Ali, Sam Curran, David Willey, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Usman Ghani, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Rewind

2016 ICC T20 World Cup: England won by 15 runs.

ENG AFG Dream11 Team

Potential swaps

Ibrahim Zadran for Liam Livingstone

Captaincy options

Jos Buttler, Alex Hales, Mark Wood