Team news, likely XIs, form guide, players to watch, odds, TV and streaming information, weather forecast, umpire appointments and everything else you need to know
Afghanistan take on Namibia in the Super 12 stage of the T20 World Cup.
The game is scheduled for 2pm local time (10am BST) on Sunday, October 31, 2021.
The game will be held at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium: Ground guide
Pakistan's domination of Group 2 of the Super 12s at least means Afghanistan are part of the conversation with regard to the last four.
Having already beaten Scotland they can tee themselves up nicely for clashes with India and New Zealand if they can collect a second victory.
We perhaps got a better idea of what this side is capable of as they pushed Pakistan heading into the final two overs of the pulsating clash in Dubai, even though it ended in defeat.
And had it not been for Asif Ali's heroics then we'd be talking about an Afghan side with a handful of wins to their name and the last four in sight.
Namibia are having a whale of a time and it feels like some time ago they broke their World Cup duck against Netherlands and then beat Ireland in a virtual playoff.
If they are to collect a fourth win of the competition then this surely represents their best opportunity. But that would be the cherry on top having already secured a place at the next tournament in Australia.
Dafabet have installed Afghanistan as big favourites to collect a second group win, offering odds of 1/9.
Namibia can be backed at 5/1 for anyone who fancied a rank outsider.
The minnows are 10/11 to score more than 5.5 runs from their first over, and 17/20 to go above that figure.
Afghanistan meanwhile are 11/10 to accumulate over 6.5 and 7/10 to go below.
Naveen-ul-Haq has signed up for a second campaign with Leicestershire in the T20 Blast and looks every bit like a seamer who could dominate this format for years to come.
He's taken a wicket in each of Afghanistan's four games on this trip, including in the two warm-up matches, and at 22 years old is just about as fearless as they come on the circuit.
"I'll do whatever I've been doing for the last two, three years," he told ESPNCricinfo ahead of the tournament. "I just have to concentrate on the basics and focus on the things that have worked for me rather than thinking about who has faced my bowling before or hasn't."
Jan Frylinck, No.179 in the men's T20 Player Index, is Namibia's leading wicket-taker in the competition with seven at 12 apiece.
Billed as a vital strike-bowler within this side, he has justified that title with some frugal spells. Afghanistan's batter are partial to going hard at the ball but how they deal with Frylinck's left-arm angle will be intriguing.
If Afghanistan were tempted to bench Karim Janat then this game surely represents the ideal time to do it, after that 19th over ordeal against Ali.
Namibia have resisted from tinkering with their XI and could be unchanged for a third straight game.
The following umpires and match referees have been named by the ICC to officiate in the T20 World Cup 2021:
Referees: David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Ranjan Madugalle, Javagal Srinath
Umpires: Chris Brown, Aleem Dar, Kumar Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Michael Gough, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nitin Menon, Ahsan Raza, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Rod Tucker, Joel Wilson, Paul Wilson
The following officials have been allocated to this fixture:
On-field umpires: Gaffaney, Raza
TV umpire: Reiffel
Fourth umpire: Illingworth
Referee: Srinath
Full T20 World Cup officials appointments: Click here
Temperatures at the start of play will be around 32 degrees Celsius.
Follow the Met Office forecast here.
Yes, though Covid protocols including the wearing of face masks will be in place.
Click here to visit the ICC's ticketing site.
The idea that Namibia would be chasing a fourth tournament win at this stage of the competition seemed barely believable a few weeks ago. But Afghanistan's tricky spin attack should ensure they have too much.
T20 WORLD CUP TEAM GUIDES
Sky Sports Cricket (Sky 404, Talk Talk 404, BT TV 423, Virgin 504) will broadcast the series in the United Kingdom, with the content available online via its streaming platform Sky Go.
BBC Radio Five Live Sports Extra will have live ball-by-ball radio commentary of all tournament matches, accessible through the BBC Sport website, BBC Sounds or DAB radio.
The Star Sports network is showing the tournament in India. Matches can be streamed via Disney+ Hotstar
Other broadcasters by territory:
Australia - Fox Sports, Channel 9, Kayo Sports
New Zealand – Sky Sport New Zealand
Pakistan - PTV Sports, Ten Sports
Bangladesh - Ghazi Tv (GTV)
Sri Lanka – SLRC (Channel Eye)
South Africa – SuperSport
Caribbean – ESPN
Middle East and North Africa – eLife TV, StarzPlay, Switch TV
USA – ESPN+
Singapore - Star Cricket, Star Hub and Singtel
Malaysia - Fox International Channels
Hong Kong - Star Cricket
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Shahzad, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Hamid Hassan, Farid Ahmad Malik, Naveen ul Haq
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Stephen Baard, Karl Birkenstock. Michau du Preez, Jan Frylinck, Zane Green, Nicol Lofie-Eaton, Bernard Scholtz, Ben Shikongo, JJ Smit, Ruben Trumpelmann, Michael van Lingen, David Wiese, Craig Williams, Picky Ya France
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Hamid Hassan, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Namibia: Craig Williams, Zane Green (wk), Gerhard Erasmus (c), David Wiese, Michael van Lingen, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
T20 World Cup Hub: News, features, stats, live scores
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