Pakistan fielded a full-strength side, with Naseem Shah returning and Shaheen Shah Afridi slotted at No. 9, thus offering batting depth. They also had seven bowling options, including Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed.
HAMBANTOTA: (UrduPoint/Pakistan Point News-August 22nd, 2023) On a hot Hambantota afternoon, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bat first against Afghanistan as the two sides finalise their preparations for the Asia Cup.
Pakistan fielded a full-strength side, with Naseem Shah returning and Shaheen Shah Afridi slotted at No. 9, thus offering batting depth. They also had seven bowling options, including Agha Salman and Iftikhar Ahmed.
For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan returned after having been rested for the final ODI against Bangladesh in Chattogram. Ikram Alikhil also made his ODI comeback after almost four years. He last played against West Indies in 2019.
The pitch is devoid of grass. The square boundaries - 79 and 80 metres - are the larger ones, so expect faster bowlers to bowl into the wicket.
Afghanistan: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), 5 Mohammad Nabi, 6 Rashid Khan, 7 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 8 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 9 Azmatullah Omarzai, 10 Abdul Rahman, 11 Ikram Alikhil
Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 2 Fakhar Zaman, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Agha Salman, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Usama Mir, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Naseem Shah, 11 Haris Rauf
