Asia Cup 2018: Super 4, Match 2, Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Preview- After India defeat, Sarfraz's men look to recollect against the might of the Afghans

Both teams have faced each other only twice in ODIs and Pakistan have trumped on both instances.

Published - 20 Sept 2018, 18:35 IST | Updated - 20 Sept 2018, 18:35 IST

3 Min Read

Pakistan haven’t had the best of outings thus far in this year’s Asia Cup in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).In the first match at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Sarfraz Ahmed and Co were clinical and authoritatively brushed aside Hong Kong by eight wickets. Their fast-bowlers spewed venom and turned out to be too hot to handle for Anshuman Rath and Co.

However, the Sarfraz Ahmed-captained Men in Green slumped against India, captained by Rohit Sharma, by eight wickets. Barring the 82-run stand between Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik, at no stage did they look like getting under the skins of the ruthless Indians. Their bowlers, after an impressive show against Hong Kong, also looked out of sorts, to say the least.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, have captured the imaginations of the supporters, but Asghar Afghan’s men need to pull a rabbit out of the hat against Pakistan at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Both teams have faced each other only twice in ODIs and Pakistan have trumped on both instances. But, bearing in mind, Afghanistan’s rich vein of form, Sarfraz’s men can’t afford to undermine them

Team Combination

Pakistan

Pakistan may resort to a change or two in the upcoming match. Mohammad Amir, who hasn’t been in the best of form in recent times, may make way for Junaid Khan for the experience he possesses in the shorter formats. The opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq and Fakhar Zaman would want to shed the disappointment of the last match and make amends for the same.

Babar Azam and Shoaib Malik remain to be the integral members of the batting lineup. Sarfraz Ahmed, being the skipper, needs to fire as well. With Faheem Ashraf slotted to come at number eight, the Pakistani batting has a fair amount of depth. The onus will be on the fast bowlers Usman Khan, Hasan Ali, Faheem and Junaid to deliver. Shadab Khan is the lone specialist spinner.

Predicted XI

Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Sarfraz Ahmed (C & wk), Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Junaid Khan, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan

Afghanistan

Afghanistan made one alteration in the eleven for the last match. They replaced Najibullah Zadran with Samiullah Shenwari. However, Zadran is likely to return against Pakistan. Mohammad Shahzad and Ihsanullah Janat are the opening batsmen. Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Mohammad Nabi have done reasonably well, batting in the middle-order.

Najibullah’s addition will strengthen the batting as he has the ability to take bowling attacks to the cleaners. Gulbadin Naib and Aftab Alam are the fast bowlers. The likes of Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are the tweakers in the lineup. The trio has troubled the best in the business and Pakistan need to chart out tactics to smother them.

Predicted XI

Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Ihsanullah Janat, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan (C), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

Players to watch out for

Babar Azam- Pakistan

Babar Azam has an impressive record in the UAE and he will have to bring in all his experience to guide his team. In both the matches against Hong Kong and India, he looked in good touch but unfortunately couldn’t carry on. The Lahore-born batsman will be keen to garner a substantiate knock under his belt and get Pakistan off to a winning start in the Super 4 stage.

Rahmat Shah- Afghanistan

Shah has been a prolific run scorer for the Afghans in limited-overs cricket and has played well in this tournament. After his match-winning knock against Sri Lanka, he began well against Bangladesh but was nipped out by Abu Hider Rony. Afghanistan will again be looking up to the top-order batsman for getting some crucial runs on the board and help the Afghans clinch the ascendancy.