The match will be played at 7pm PST at Sharjah stadium.
SHARJAH (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-Sept 7th, 2022) Pakistan and Afghanistan will be up against each other for the first time in the Asia Cup today (Wednesday.
Both teams who are very familiar with the conditions in UAE will play at Sharjah cricket stadium at 7pm PST.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are going to play only third time in T20I and previously it was Pakistan that defeated Afghanistan in both matches played in 2013 and 2019.
Having kicked off the Asia Cup with two impressive wins against higher-ranked Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the group stage, Afghanistan endured a defeat to Dasun Shanaka's men after posting 175 for 6 in their first Super 4 match. But there were takeaways for them. First of all, it was a close game. And overall, they've shown they no longer just rely on the spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and captain Mohammad Nabi for wickets anymore. Their fast bowlers Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq have emerged as match-winners for them.
In the batting department, the likes of Najibullah Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran have all stepped up to the challenge. They will need to keep to those levels if Afghanistan are to make the final.
Pakistan, meanwhile, have been able to put up convincing victories despite injuries to key players and their captain being out of form. Mohammad Rizwan has done well to cover for Babar Azam, with 192 runs from three innings. The likes of Fakhar Zaman and Khushdil Shah have also chipped in, and in the previous match, against India, allrounder Mohammad Nawaz blazed away to 42 off 20 balls after being promoted to No.4.
Bowling still remains their biggest strength, with spinners Shadab Khan and Nawaz sharing 13 wickets between them from three matches. Add the young Naseem Shah to the picture and the attack looks even more potent.
While a victory will take Pakistan closer to the final after having beaten defending champions India in a last-over thriller, they will have to overcome a highly motivated opponent as Afghanistan themselves chase their first win in the Super 4s.
Filling in a Shaheen Shah Afridi-sized hole in Pakistan's bowling line-up isn't easy, but Naseem Shah, just three T20Is old, has proved he can come close. He burst on the scene in red-ball cricket with his searing pace and swing, and turns out, that combination works in the shorter formats too. The 19-year-old has picked up five wickets in three matches so far in the competition and will have a big role to play in restricting Afghanistan's improved batting. Especially with the experienced Haris Rauf struggling a little bit.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz is coming off an 84 off 45 balls against Sri Lanka - albeit in a losing cause. He also hit an 18-ball 40 in a low-key chase in the Asia Cup opener. With a strike rate of 166.66 in the Asia Cup, the hard-hitting opener presents a serious threat to the Pakistan bowlers. He is also among a key group of players Afghanistan will be relying on to lift them up from the bottom of the Super 4 table.
The team batting first will be looking to score big, as has been the case in two out of three matches played in Sharjah. Pakistan posted 193 against Hong Kong, and Sri Lanka chased down Afghanistan's 175.
Teams:
Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 3 Fakhar Zaman, 4 Iftikhar Ahmed, 5 Khushdil Shah, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Asif Ali, 8 Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Naseem Shah, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Mohammad Hasnain
Afghanistan are unlikely to make changes.
Afghanistan: 1 Hazratullah Zazai, 2 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 3 Ibrahim Zadran, 4 Najibullah Zadran, 5 Mohammad Nabi (capt), 6 Karim Janat, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Azmatullah Omarzai, 9 Naveen-ul-Haq, 10 Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi.
