PLAYER RATINGS: David Warner and Pat Cummins impress as Australia ease past Afghanistan

The Cricketer assess both sets of players after Australia got their World Cup campaign off to the perfect start against Afghanistan at Bristol

Afghanistan

Mohammad Shahzad (0): The eccentric opener will have better days. Cleaned up by Mitchell Starc via his front pad, he waved a fair few balls past him behind the stumps. Hard to say whether he was affected by the niggle he picked up in the warm-up game. 3

Hazratullah Zazai (0): Potentially swashbuckling, today was not his day. Waved his hands at one that rose from Pat Cummins. 2

Rahmat Shah (43): Now, here’s a man who knows his game. He already has a Test 98 against Ireland and it wasn’t hard to see why. The most organised Afghan batsman on display today. 7

Hashmatullah Shahidi (18): Another who looked useful for a while, at least until he ran past one from Adam Zampa. 5

Mohammad Nabi (7): The classy all-rounder never really got going with the bat before running himself out. He was, however, the most economical of the feted spin trio. 5

Gulbadin Naib (31 & 1-32): The new skipper put himself under pressure by opting to bat at the toss, and left out his predecessor, Asghar Afghan. He batted nicely and delivered a clever slower ball to see the back of Aaron Finch. A good day, personally, for the captain. 7

Najibullah Zadran (51): Few have hit the ball more cleanly thus far in the tournament than this man. Najibullah took a serious liking to Adam Zampa, but will feel he threw it away when clunking Marcus Stoinis up in the air.

Rashid Khan (27 & 1-52): The star will have wanted to go better with the ball on a pitch that offered little for the spinners, while his extra pace made punishing the rare poor deliveries easier. An enterprising 11-ball 27 with the bat. 6

Dawlat Zadran (4 & 0-32): The less-discussed member of this highly-respected bowling attack. Dawlat bowled nicely, skidding past David Warner’s bat regularly early on. 6

Mujeeb Ur Rahman (13 & 1-45): Aaron Finch was ruthless against the tournament’s youngest player. He pulled it back late on to dismiss Smith. He’ll have better days in the next month. 4

Hamid Hassan (1 & 0-15) Suprerb with the ball. The old-stager was quick - often too quick for Finch and Warner. A cracking display from the heandband-wearing speedster. 8

Australia

Aaron Finch (66): He took control early on, while Warner prodded and probed for his own form. Clean hitting from a clean hitter. His decision to bring Adam Zampa back paid dividends as Rashid’s dangerous knock was ended. 8

David Warner (89*): He’s back. Was it ever really in doubt? His mentality was tested as he sought bat on ball early on, but after coming through that, it was vintage Warner. Beware. 9

Usman Khawaja (15): Picked ahead of Shaun Marsh for this one, he will regret falling to Rashid – as good a delivery as it was. 4

Steve Smith (18): The second of the pantomime villains on show in Bristol. He looked totally at ease until getting one that bounced from Mujeeb. 4

Glenn Maxwell (4*): Hard to judge Maxwell’s contribution, really. He faced one ball, which he biffed for a boundary. He has the potential to be a tournament-winner for Australia. 5

Marcus Stoinis (DNB & 2-37): His bowling has improved dramatically in recent times. He used the short ball well here, dismissing Gulbadin and Najibullah in the same over. 7

Alex Carey (DNB): A tidy day behind the stumps for Carey, who played a role in five separate dismissals. He can be pleased with his work. 7

Nathan Coulter Nile (DNB & 0-36): A decent enough day out for Coulter-Nile, picked ahead of Nathan Lyon, who will come into the tournament as it goes on. 6

Pat Cummins (DNB & 3-40): A Rolls Royce cricketer. His batting spot at nine highlights Australia’s depth. He may have overused the short ball as the Afghan innings wore on, but he still finished with three scalps, including the important wicket of Zazai. 8

Mitchell Starc (DNB & 1-31): The fastest ball of the tournament so far was propelled by Starc’s left arm. He may well surpass it himself. He looked in fine fettle, cleaning up Shahzad with a beauty. 7

Adam Zampa (DNB & 3-60): Everyone has a leg-spinner these days, don’t they? Zampa was solid, bowling stump-to-stump. His figures took a beating from Najibullah, but three wickets represent a job reasonably well done. 7

Our coverage of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 is brought to you in association with Cricket 19, the official video game of the Ashes. Order your copy now at Amazon.co.uk

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