Pakistan is all set to take on neighbors Afghanistan in the match 10th of the ongoing Asia Cup in Dubai today. A win over Afghanistan will take Pakistan an inch closer to the finals. After suffering a humiliating defeat against Sri Lanka they have found their winning ways against India. Pakistan is a much-improved batting line-up that has got enough firepower from top to bottom. Their bowlers are also doing a wonderful job, especially Harris Rauf. Still, there is no notable performance from captain Babar Azam so you can expect him to find his Midas touch again.
Afghanistan on another hand is also a much-improved side but its major problem lies in consistency. They are also not performing as a unit. They simply rely on one or two batting performances and barring Rashid Khan there are no proper bowling performances so far. Their batting looks rock-solid and an improved performance from their bowlers can help Afghanistan to give a tough fight against Bangladesh. Rashid khan has been helping them with both bat and ball but they need to have a proper finisher to steal the show. They have met twice in the past and Pakistan has emerged victorious in both games.
Players to watch out for:
Pakistan:
Fakhar Zaman:
One of the dangerous customers with bat Fakhar Zaman is in fine form for Pakistan. He has smashed 78 runs so far in the tournament and he is expected to continue his rich vein of form in today’s game as well.
Shadab Khan:
Shadab Khan is a spin bowling allrounder who often comes in handy with a bat. He has taken six wickets so far and can bowl both in powerplays and middle overs.
Afganistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz:
He is a right-handed batsman who is in fine form so far this tournament. He has smashed 135 runs and he will look to continue his rich vein of form in today’s game as well.
Rashid Khan:
Rashid khan has been a consistent performer for Afghanistan for the last 3-4 years. He has slowly developed his power-hitting abilities with the bat. He has got a wide range of experience and he will look to put up a strong all-round performance in today’s game as well.
Pitch Report:
Boundaries at Sharjah are not that much big and the wicket has been flat for previous games. We can expect the same today as well but it is expected to be conducive for spinners in the second innings. So winning the toss and opting to bowl can be the ideal choice.
Weather Forecast:
There is no chance of rain and the temperature is expected to be around 33 degrees Celcius. But due is expected to play a role in the second half of the innings.
Probable Playing X1:
Pakistan:
Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah
Afghanistan:
Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.