Afghanistan: World Cup minnows, but warriors no less

They may be featuring in only their second ODI World Cup — the first being in 2015 — but Afghanistan will be no pushovers in the competition. Containing a healthy mix of youth and experience, one can expect Afghanistan to cause a few upsets. The Gulbadin Naib-led unit has some star performers in leg-spinner Rashid Khan, all-rounder Mohammed Nabi and batsmen Mohd Shahzad and Noor Ali Zadran.
ICC WORLD CUP 2019: Full Schedule
Here's a SWOT analysis:
Strengths: In Rashid, Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Afghanistan possess a potent spin unit that can create anxious moments in the opposition ranks. The trio has been in good form in ODIs — taking 54 wickets among themselves in the last one year — which is double of what the rest in the line-up have managed. More importantly, all three have the experience of bowling on English wickets thanks to the exposure in the T20 blast last year.
Weakness: The Afghanistan batting line-up’s temperament could be tested during the course of the competition. The experienced and explosive Mohammad Shahzad will have to do the bulk of scoring with the likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Javed Ahmadi and Noor Ali Zadran playing the support role. Another area of concern is their fast-bowling department. While their spin options are aplenty, seamers will have a key role to play in English conditions. Skipper Naib, Aftab Alam and Dawlat Zadran provide the seam options and the team management has also recalled Hamid Hassan to add more experience to the line-up.
Opportunity: The upcoming edition of the World Cup offers Afghanistan a chance to make a bigger impression on the global stage. Unlike the previous World Cup where they only played in six games, Afghanistan have nine games in this edition to show their skills.
Threats: If things don’t fall in place immediately, the last-minute change in leadership could become a talking point. The think-tank’s move to appoint Naib by overlooking the experienced Asghar Afghan just months before the quadrennial event was questioned by Rashid and Nabi.
Rashid Khan the X-Factor: The ODI World Cup debutant will carry the entire nation’s hopes on his shoulders. Rashid, who has 123 wickets from 57 ODIs, possesses enough international experience to handle the pressure situations that the World Cup will throw up.