By CricketCountry Staff
Australian captain Michael Clarke has won the toss and elected to bat first in the only One-Day International (ODI) against Afghanistan at Sharjah on Saturday.
Published: Aug 25, 2012, 07:25 PM (IST)
Edited: Aug 25, 2012, 07:25 PM (IST)
Fast-rising Afghanistan will open another chapter in their remarkable story when they play their first One-Day International (ODI) against former world champions Australia © AFP
By CricketCountry Staff
Sharjah: Aug 25, 2012
Australian captain Michael Clarke has won the toss and elected to bat first in the only One-Day International (ODI) against Afghanistan at Sharjah on Saturday.
Fast-rising Afghanistan will open another chapter in their remarkable story when they play their first One-Day International (ODI) against former world champions Australia.
War-torn Afghanistan, who gained affiliate membership from the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 2001, took a giant leap two years ago by finishing fifth in the World Cup qualifiers.
That earned them the right to play one-day internationals.
Afghanistan took the first step towards playing bigger teams when they faced Pakistan in a one-day match in Sharjah in February and although they lost by seven wickets their performance proved they deserved more chances.
For Australia, the pre-series hype focused on how they cope up with the high temperatures but their acting coach Steve Rixon said a policy has been devised to combat the oppressive weather.
Teams:
Australia: Matthew Wade (wk), David Warner, Michael Clarke (c), Michael hussey, David Hussey, George Bailey, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, James Pattinson, Xavier Doherty
Afghanistan: Karim Sadiq, Javed Ahmadi, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Nawroz Mangal (c), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbodin Naib, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran
Click to view ball-by-ball commentary & full score of the ODI match here
