Jason Roy's absence will help us, says Gulbadin Naib

Naib joked that his side were fortunate to be facing an England XI without Roy in their line-up

Manchester: Afghanistan skipper Gulbadin Naib looked ahead to Tuesday's group phase game at Old Trafford on Monday. Naib expressed that his team is trying to give its best.

Talking ahead of the match Naib said, "We are trying to do our best in the matches, but if I look, my team, so I didn't like how we played last time. So unlike last one year, last two years. But we try to put everything in the middle, so the team is now... you know you have a potential to do well in the matches, but it is bad like we didn't well in the last four games."

"But if you look at last four games, we did well, actually, also in the batting, on the bowling side. But we try to put everything in the middle, so every player just wants to do well. But it's bad luck, so I don't know. So God willing we can try to put tomorrow game, we have a good game against England, so it's home side, so it's a full side in this World Cup. So trying to do well against them."

Naib joked that his side were fortunate to be facing an England XI without Roy in their line-up, but bemoaned the fact that Afghanistan's results have not yet reflected their level of play in the World Cup so far.

"Yeah, it's good luck for us Jason Roy is not playing tomorrow, but I'm not sure. But it's cricket, so Roy is one of the best players now in the world now, recently how he performed. So last two years, he's one of the world-class, best players. He played last game, 150 runs, which I think is one of the best innings of him. So yeah, England is a good side," Afghanistan skipper said.

Naib said that it is very difficult for the Asian team to cop up to the conditions in England.

"Every team struggling here. But specifically for us, like we played the last four games, we face four different kinds of conditions. So it's very difficult to face them. But we try to learn from them, so it's very difficult in this kind of surface you play. So you playing in Asia and then you move to England, so it's very difficult. But now, we have a couple of time here, so God willing, we shall be in good form now,"

England have just lost one game in this World Cup 2019.