Pakistan will face Afghanistan in the 22nd match of the ongoing World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai on Monday. After winning their first two matches, Pakistan have lost their last two games to veer off the track and they will look to get back to winning ways.
Afghanistan also suffered a huge loss of 149 runs against New Zealand in their last game and they will have to be at their best against Pakistan. We look at the current form, head-to-head, players to look out for, and squads of both teams in our match preview.
Current form for Afghanistan: L W L L L
After stunning England, Afghanistan could not keep up the consistency against New Zealand. They could only manage 139 runs with the bat and will want to come up with a better batting performance. Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman will get help from Chennai track and both of them will hold the key.
Current form for Pakistan: L L W W L
Fast bowling has always been Pakistan’s strength but with the likes of Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf struggling to control runs, it is becoming difficult for them to keep the opposition to below-par scores. However, their batting is clicking as a unit but they will want Babar Azam to lead from the front.
Head to Head: Matches: 7, Won by Pakistan: 7, Won by Afghanistan: 0.
Pakistan has won all seven matches against Afghanistan and they would aim to continue their domination.
Players to look out for: Mohammad Nabi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi will be the crucial players for Afghanistan.
Babar Azam, Shadab Khan, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf will be the crucial players for Pakistan.
Afghanistan squad: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.
