Afghanistan registered their first Test victory after Rahmat Shah's second fifty of the match helped secure their seven-wicket win against Ireland in a one-off contest in Dehradun on Monday.
The ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 stage is set as all 10 captains gathered on Wednesday at the world's largest cricket stadium in Ahmedabad on the eve of the biggest Cricket World Cup ever.
Down and out, the two bottom-placed teams know that this will be their best chance to post their first win in the ongoing 50-over showpiece.
IMAGES from the World Cup match played between India and Afghanistan in Southampton on Saturday
Winless in two matches, both India and Afghanistan are out of the tournament and Thursday's match between the two sides in Dubai has been rendered inconsequential.
Afghanistan's former coach Lalchand Rajput believes that they can "upset some of the top teams" in mega tournament, primarily banking on their spinners.
Afghanistan showed some fight to set a target of 208 runs to win for Australia on Saturday.
Eager to keep their semi-final hopes alive, a desperate Bangladesh will have their work cut out when they take on a spirited Afghanistan in a do-or-die World Cup encounter in Southampton on Monday. England's defeat at the hands of Sri Lanka on Friday breathed air into Bangladesh's hopes of securing a semi-final berth and the 'Tigers' will be keen on making the most of the situation starting with a win over the bottom-placed Afghanistan.
Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi are a spin-bowling unit the equal of any in the world
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh can beat each other on their day
None other than India skipper Virat Kohli acknowledged Afghanistan's rapid rise in the last four years.
For Kohli, in probably his last three matches as T20 captain of India, one would expect some prudent team selections and it starts with the question of repeatedly ignoring a player of Ashwin's calibre.
All-rounder Imad Wasim's unbeaten 49 guided Pakistan to a thrilling three-wicket victory over minnows Afghanistan in Leeds on Saturday, maintaining their hopes of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.
Images from the England-Afghanistan World Cup match in Manchester, on Tuesday.
This was Sri Lanka's second loss in as many matches, and, as a consequence, they have been knocked out of the tournament.
Spinner Rashid Khan celebrated his 20th birthday in style by producing a stunning all-round display as Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 136 runs in an Asia Cup match in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
1983 World Cup winner Krishnamachari Srikkanth believes Virat Kohli's captaincy, and Jasprit Bumrah and Yuzvendra Chahal's excellent bowling, were the key to India's narrow victory over Afghanistan.
A look at his T20 Internationals numbers and one wonders why M S Dhoni was dropped for the T20 series against the Windies and Australia. His T20I numbers are quite decent and there is no sudden dip in his form, notes Rajneesh Gupta.
South Africa won their first game at the World Cup, beating Afghanistan by nine wickets (DLS). Imran Tahir finished with figures of 4 for 29, the best figures by a spinner in the tournament so
India take on a war-ravaged-but-resilient Afghanistan in their first ever Test match, in Bengaluru, on Thursday.
Rajneesh Gupta profiles the cricketers playing the World Cup 2019.
The International Cricket Council released the provisional squads of the 12 teams for next year's World Cup in Australia and New Zealand on Friday. However, co-hosts Australia and minnows Ireland decided against releasing the provisional list although they submitted 30 names to the parent body within the stipulated deadline.
590 cricketers -- including 370 Indian players and 220 overseas players -- will go under the hammer during the two-day mega auction in Bengaluru on February 12 and 13.
Rajneesh Gupta presents all the fascinating career numbers of players in the World Cup.
