GOING, GOING, GONE! Roy brings up a comprehensive nine wicket win with a six over mid-wicket. England has beaten Afghanistan by nine wickets. Chasing 161, Roy and Bairstow got the host side off to a blazing start. Bairstow was stumped against the run of play, but that didn't deter Roy, who in Root's company, continued his assault as England romped home with more than 32 overs to spare.
Roy continues to flay the Afghan bowlers: another maximum and victory is within striking distance for England. 11 off Naib's second over. No one's spared, not even Rashid as Roy swipes one over midwicket for six before collecting four more. Roy brings up the team 150 with a cracking shot over mid-wicket.
Fifty for Roy with a single off Rashid. He welcomes Gulbadin Naib into the attack with two successive boundaries. This is an assault of the highest pedigree. England needs 49 runs. Root plays an exquisite late cut against Rashid. Six off it. ENG 121/1 after 13 overs.
Aftab continues leaking runs: Root works one to backward square leg for four. Six off the over. Nabi, from the other end, drops short and Root collects four more. All too easy. Roy joins the fun. Two back-to-back fours take England top 100. ENG 100/1 after 10 overs.
Aftab Alam, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack and is straightaway taken for four runs by Bairstow. Short ball, and Bairstow has pummelled that for six. This just keeps getting better: Bairstown down on one knee and sweeps this away for four more. 14 off it. GONE! Bairstow has been dismissed against the run of play. ENG 77/1 after 7.2 overs. Joe Root joins Roy.
Bairstow dispatches Hamid between mid-wicket and long-on for four more. England openers eating away at the deficit in double quick time. Nabi brought into the attack. DROPPED! Roy has been dropped. Dawlat has grassed a sitter. He celebrates the reprieve with a boundary off the next ball. 50 up in less than six overs. A four and a six to end the over. 16 off it. ENG 62/0 after 6 overs.
Bairstow flays a full deliver towards third man for four... Roy matches him stroke for stroke: hoicks one away for four more. 11 off the over. Rashid Khan into the attack. He is greeted by Roy with a fierce cut to backward point for four. Nine off the over. ENG 41/0 after 4 overs.
Cracking shot. A boundary first ball for Roy, who has hammered a wide and short delivery between cover and point for four. A dot to end the over. Five off it. Dawlat Zadran to share the new ball. Roy welcomes Zadran with yet another first-ball four. SHOT! Bairstow's first scoring shot is a beautiful straight drive. Follows it up with an audacious pull shot over backward square leg for four. ENG 21/0 after 2 overs.
Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow to start proceedings for England. Hamid Hassan with the new ball.
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Joe Root picked up three wickets as Afghanistan folded for a modest 160... thanks to an entertaining last-wicket stand between Nabi and Dawlat, the Afghan bowlers have something to bowl at. England needs 161 to win.
Archer back into the attack. Nabi has made up his mind: he's going to go for the big hits; has a wild swing and the outside edge races away to the third-man fence. And GONE! Nabi perishes looking for another big hit. Afghanistan all out for 160.
Dawlat has gone inside out over extra cover for four... Ali taking a beating towards the fag end of his spell. Dawlat's having fun out there, launches Rashid over long on for six. 150 up for Afghanistan and a huge cheer across the stadium! He wraps up the over with a delightful straight drive for four.
Nabi continues his assault: launches Rashid over deep extra cover for six. Root, meanwhile, picks up his third wicket: Aftab Alam holes out for six. Dawlat Zadran the last man in. AFG 136/9 after 35 overs.
It's a procession .... Root gets Najibullah and Rashid Khan off successive deliveries. Adil Rashid into the attack. That's 100 up for Afghanistan thanks to an overthrow. Last 5 overs, 9 runs have come Afghanistan's way... And Nabi decides he has had enough. Shimmies down the track and lofts Moeen down the ground for six. ...and another one , this time over over deep mid-wicket. 14 runs off the over. AFG 115/8 after 31 overs.
BOUNDARY, at last. Naib cuts one to deep backward point for a much-needed four. That was a poor delivery from Moeen. Shahidi has been run out at the other end. Afghanistan are five down for less than 100. Najibullah Zadran joins... Naib has been caught. Moeen Ali has his second. Afghanistan are falling apart. AFG 88/6 after 23.5 overs. Nabi comes to the crease.
Moeen Ali has been introduced into the attack. Five dots and a single to end the over. Root, at the other end, continues to amble through his miserly spell. Last 5 overs, only 10 runs have come for Afghanistan. Root and Ali stifling the scoring rate. AFG 78/4 after 22 overs.
Joe Root introduced into the attack. Gets a wicket off his second ball.
Shahidi Stanikzai holes out
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and Afghanistan has lost its match winner from the Pakistan game .
Gulbadin Naib comes to the crease. Ben Stokes goes for one. Four singles off Root's second over.
AFG 73/4 after 19 overs.
There are plenty of Afghanistan supporters in the crowd who are letting it known every time they pick up a single. No dearth of support. Just four runs coming off the last two overs from Curran and Stokes. Stanikzai, meanwhile, crashes a Stokes short ball past point for four. Five off the over. AFG 66/3 after 16 overs. DRINKS!
Ben Stokes brought into the attack. Noor Ali into the 30s with a pull shot over fine leg for four. The joy is short-lived as Stokes cleans em up soon after. Chopped it on. Afghanistan three down. Stanikzai comes to the middle. Seven off Curran's second over. AFG 57/3 after 13 overs.
Noor Ali gives himself some room and the ouside edge races away to third man for four. Archer responds by going short and fast. SHOT! A fabulous hit to deep square leg by Noor to end the over. Woakes, at the other end, bowls a maiden. Tom Curran into the attack. Noor's looking in good touch: a stylish flick over mid-wicket races away for four. Six off the over. AFG 44/2 after 11 overs.
Archer continues. Noor Ali collects five off the first four balls. And gone! Archer has his second wicket, and a tame dismissal ends Rahmat's short stay. Afghanistan two down. Shahidi comes to the crease. Just five off the over. Woakes to continue... only two. This is brilliant stuff from England's new-ball pair. Archer's figures so far: 4-0-20-2. AFG 29/2 after 7 overs.
Archer to continue. Gotcha! Zazai clears the front leg, tries to go for a big shot but ends up offering a simple catch to Moeen Ali. He was undone by the extra pace on this occasion. Afghanistan one down! Rahmat Shah comes to the crease. Rahmat takes a single to open his account. Just one off the over. Woakes to continue. Two in the over. AFG 20/1 after 4 overs.
Zazai and Zadran get off the mark with singles. Good short ball from Archer, but Zazai has managed to pull that to fine leg for four before carving one to deep backward point for a second consecutive boundary. 12 runs off the over. Chris Woakes to share the new ball. GONE! Woakes has managed to induce an edge off Noor Ali. He has been given out, but batsman reviews. Replays show no outside edge and he survives! Next ball, Noor Ali scythes one through cover. Five off it. AFG 17/0 after 2 overs.
Hazrat Zazai and Noor Zadran to open for England, Jofra Archer with the new ball.
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TOSS UPDATE: Eoin Morgan has won the toss, and England will bowl.
Afghanistan (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah(w), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Samiullah Shinwari, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib(c), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Noor Ali Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan
England (Batting XI, Fielding XI): Jason Roy, Jonny Bairstow, Joe Root, Eoin Morgan(c), James Vince, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler(w), Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid
Eoin Morgan: Afghanistan is a fantastic emerging side. Great to see for cricket. They bring a lot of energy to the game. It is a used wicket. It is as close as it can get to a subcontinental wicket. Plunkett and Dawson won't play today.
Gulbadin Naib: The guys are very excited. This looks a good wicket. We want to play our best cricket. Hopefully we will put a good total on board. Shahzad and Mujeeb have been rested.
PITCH REPORT : "There's thick grass coverage on the pitch. That's good news for the bowlers... if they hit the right areas, they can cause trouble. Overall, Oval pitch has been a batting paradise," reckons Wasim Akram.
Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who is the best all-rounder in the ODI format, talks about the benefits of being with Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL and what the ICC Cricket World Cup means to his nation| Eyeing to create a flutter or two
Jos Buttler has been in red hot form leading up to the World Cup. Needless to say, the right-handed batsman will be one of England's trump cards. Phil Lewis, Buttler's first team coach at King’s College in Taunton, recalls the destructive wicketkeeper-batsman’s early days| Jos Buttler - ‘the confident bubbly pupil’
Mohandas Menon digs out stats on runs scored per over by teams since the last World Cup.
This will be the second World Cup appearance for Afghanistan — it had featured in the 2015 edition — and on paper, the side looks pretty balanced with a perfect blend of youth and experience| Ready to rock the boat
The LIVE commentary starts at 03:00 PM IST.
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