Pakistan and Afghanistan will face each other in the 4th T20i of the ongoing Tri-series on 2nd September at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Match Preview:
Pakistan crushed Afghanistan in the opening game of the Tri-series, and if anything, Salman Ali Agha’s side will be aiming to do it again. A win in this upcoming match would secure Pakistan’s place in the final of the tri-nation series.
Pakistan’s major concern has been the performance of Fakhar Zaman. He has failed to score runs in both games so far, and his record on slower tracks has not been encouraging either. Pakistan could consider batting him at number three to maximize his impact, but that decision rests with Agha and Mike Hesson.
There is also the possibility of dropping Fakhar in favor of Abrar Ahmed, with Mohammad Haris slotting in at number three. Meanwhile, Hasan Nawaz and Saim Ayub showed pure class in the last game, and their performance will give Pakistan confidence to repeat that success against Afghanistan.
The bowling unit has been solid overall, but they were guilty of conceding more than 150 runs against the UAE. Although Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf did not feature in that match, the bowlers will still be expected to finish the job more efficiently this time.
As for Afghanistan, much depends on Rahmanullah Gurbaz stepping up at the highest level. He has managed only 45 runs across both games so far. Afghanistan will be hoping for their top three to fire collectively, despite Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal producing fifties against the UAE.
Additionally, a key contribution will be needed from Azmatullah Omarzai, who has been Afghanistan’s top performer in recent years and possesses the ability to make an impact with both bat and ball.
Probable Playing XI:
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Pitch and weather report:
Because of its fast outfield, small boundaries, and level surface, Sharjah Cricket Stadium has been a batting haven where batters can score a lot of runs. Because the odd ball might take a quick turn on this wicket, spinners have performed well while fast bowlers have struggled to bowl on it.
It will be a warm evening in Sharjah, and we expect to see a batting-friendly wicket where fast bowlers would have a tough time.
Head-to-head record:
All in all, Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced each other in 8 games in total with the former winning 5 while latter getting success in 3.
Prediction;
Given how Pakistan has been performing, the side is favourite to win the upcoming game and continue their winning momentum.
Where to watch:
MENA – Cricbuzz and Sportainment
Pakistan – A-Sports, Ten Sports and Tamasha.
Afghanistan – Lemar.tv
Bangladesh – tapmad and TSports
India – Fancode and Euro Sport
North America – Willow
UK – ARY
Africa – Supersports
RoW – Sports Central
