Afghanistan match against England begins in President Ghani, English officials presence

KABUL and England kicked off in the presence of President Ashraf Ghani and some English officials in Manchester.

England Captain Eoin Morgan won the toss and decided to bat first against Afghanistan at Old Trafford on Tuesday after being passed fit to play in the league match.

England, bidding to win the World Cup for the first time, are currently fourth in the 10-team table with only the top four at the end of the 10-team round-robin stage qualifying for the semi-finals.

Afghanistan is at bottom of the standings, with four defeats in four matches.

Pk/nh