Pakistan vs Afghanistan Match Preview: Pakistan and Afghanistan will square off in a very important Asia Cup Super 4 match that might give us a distant view of what the finalé looks like. This has been one exciting ride till now and how we should expect the unexpected.

Approaching today’s match, Babar Azam and company will be riding high after defeating India in their previous Super 4 match. Pakistan was clinical in crucial phases of the game and played well under duress. Mohammad Rizwan and Mohammad Nawaz’s scorching knocks stymied the Indian attack.

However, Pakistan will be wary of taking anything for granted, as Afghanistan possesses a strong bowling assault and batters who can hit it hard and big and not shying away from it. Skipper Babar Azam would want to get some runs in and lead his team from the front.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be reeling from its earlier loss to Sri Lanka. Afghanistan’s batting lineup was unable to capitalize on Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s scorching 84-run hit off 45 balls. Skipper Mohammad Nabi will be hoping that they do not repeat their mistakes from the last game. Nabi has been out of form and would like to contribute more with the bat.

Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will also have to deliver if Afghanistan is to have any hope of overcoming this formidable Pakistan team who has been playing all round cricket and is on the right track with their approach.

This match holds a great importance for Afghanistan. If they are able to beat Pakistan then they will be working on the same grounds as Pakistan towards the finals. Of all the Super 4 teams, Srilanka has played 2 matches till now and won both of them, beating Afghanistan and India. Pakistan has already won one match and if they win today, we will have a clearer idea about the finals. Afghanistan is yet to win their first Super 4 match.

How the pitch will play?

As has been the case in two of the three matches played in Sharjah, the team batting first will be seeking to score large. Pakistan scored 193 against Hong Kong, while Sri Lanka outscored Afghanistan 175. We can expect a good total from team batting first.

What to expect in the middle?

Pakistan has shown us how to build a solid batting innings. They start a little slower but they ensure they capitalise on their middling the ball in the middle overs. The powerplay should give them 40ish runs, we can expect 40ish runs in the death overs too but a total of 170+ overall.

For Afghanistan, we can expect their batters to be a little controlled by Pakistan’s pace attack. A powerplay score of 40-45 runs, 30-35 runs in death and an overall score of 165+.

Players to watchout for:

It is time we can expect a good innings from Babar Azam, the man who never loses the form. Rizwan has a little swottle with the knee injury but he is cleared so we can expect some decent runs from him too. Shadab Khan and Haris Rauf should impress with the ball.

Gurbaz has shown us what T20 entertainment is and we can expect him to continue that. Eyes should be on the Zadran brothers who are looking impressive. It is high time, Rashid Khan acts up to his reputation and shows us his magic.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan Probable Playing XI:

Pakistan: 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: 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

Pakistan vs Afghanistan Match Preview: Who Will Win?

With both the teams having had their base in UAE at some point of time, they have a lot of fans and a lot of expectations. While Pakistan would like to clear airs about finals and settle the rumors of either Afghanistan or India still being to qualify, Afghans will look on to build some pressure and take it home and continue with the anticipation of the best two at the moment. We can expect and intense contest with a slight advantage for Pakistan as they carry a strong winning momentum but as said earlier, expect the unexpected.