Despite a lot of political tension between the two neighbouring nations, Pakistan Cricket Board and Afghanistan Cricket Board have joined hands to host their first-ever T20I series in history. Notably, the three-match tournament is set to begin on Friday, March 24, while the final match will be played on Monday, March 27. All the games will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah, UAE.
Leading up to the historic series, Pakistan management has announced many new names in the support staff. Umar Gul will be seen as the interim bowling coach, while the veteran coach Abdul Rehman has been appointed as the new interim head coach. Notably, designated skipper Babar Azam will miss the series, with Shadab Khan leading the Men in Green. They have also given rest to the pace duo of Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf.
For Afghanistan, it will be a tough challenge in the middle.
- They have a strong squad and some brilliant bowlers in the mix, but with the kind of form some Pakistani players are in, it will prove to be a task for the Rashid Khan-led side.
- Meanwhile, the series can finally see the debut of Sediqullah Atal, known for his furious striking of a cricket ball.
- On the other hand, the team management has excluded Rahmat Shah and Hazratullah Zazai, and thus it needs to be seen what combination they go ahead with.
Pak vs Afg Squads
- Afghanistan:- Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Sediqullah Atal, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveen Ul Haq
- Pakistan:- Shadab Khan (c), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan
AFG vs PAK Live Streaming and Broadcast details
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Afghanistan have been in a good form in T20I cricket.
- They have recently won a 3 match T20I series against UAE by 2-1. Afghanistan performed under par in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup held recently.
- However, based on the form of its players participating in leagues across the world, Afghanistan look a strong side.
Players to look out for:
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz – He is a hard hitting batter who plays in the top order. If Gurbaz gets going in the series, Pakistan bowlers will find it hard to stop him.
- Fazalhaq Farooqi – He bowled superbly in the recently concluded HBL PSL 8 and has been the backbone of Afghanistan bowling attack for a long time. His success in the series will be directly proportional to Afghanistan’s success.
Current T20I Form Pakistan:
- Pakistan have been in a brilliant T20I form currently.
- They entered the Final of the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, where they lost against England.
- Some of Pakistan’s players are in red hot form and can take on the Afghanistan with full force.
Players to look out for:
- Mohammad Haris- He is a superb top order batter who can start striking hard from ball one. Haris is a key player for Pakistan in the current setup and will hold the key in the series against Afghanistan.
- Zaman Khan- He performed superbly in the HBL PSL 8 and played a major role in Lahore Qalandars victory in the Final.
Cricket Betting Tips and Match Predictions
- PrePlay
Who will win the toss?
- Pakistan
Who will win?
- Pakistan
AFG vs PAK Prediction
- Top Batter (Runs Scored) – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Mohammad Haris (Pakistan)
- Top Bowler (Wickets taken) – Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan), Ihsanullah (Pakistan)
- Most Sixes – Rahmanullah Gurbaz (Afghanistan), Mohammad Haris (Pakistan)
- Player of the Match- Mohammad Haris (Pakistan)
- Team Scores Batting first – Pakistan 170+, Afghanistan 160+
- Match Handicap: Pakistan
Live Cricket Streaming Afghanistan vs Pakistan in UAE, 2023:
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- *NB these predictions may be changed nearer the start of the match once the final starting teams have been announced and we will be running ‘In-Play’ features, so stay tuned.