Asia Cup 2022: Super Four, Match 4 - Predicted Pakistan Playing XI vs Afghanistan

Pakistan overcame eternal rivals India in a last-over thriller in Dubai on Sunday as they opened their account in the 2022 Asia Cup Super 4 stage. The lower middle order came to the fore in a thrilling encounter for Pakistan as they chased a challenging total with a ball to spare in front of a jam-packed crowd.

Babar Azam's side has now secured back-to-back wins in the tournament and will be looking to make it three successive wins when they take to the field against Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 7, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It won't be a straightforward game for the Men in Green as Afghanistan have been one of the surprise packages of the tournament and are capable of upending the two-time Asia Cup winners.

The only expected change in the XI is the return of Shahnawaz Dahani to the team at the expense of Mohammad Hasnain. While Mohammad Rizwan is also likely to retain his place on the teamsheet amidst fear of a knee injury.

Here’s a look at Pakistan's predicted XI against Afghanistan

Openers – Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan

Pakistan's opening stand, which has been one of their strongest suites in T20Is, is a cause for concern for the team as Babar Azam has failed to produce any significant contribution in the three matches in the Asia Cup so far. The run machine has been dismissed on innocuous deliveries against spinners in his last two outings.

But Babar Azam's struggles in the continental tournament has been overshadowed by his opening partner, Mohammad Rizwan's prolific run. The wicketkeeper-batter is the leading run-scorer of the tournament and has looked in terrific touch, anchoring the innings for Pakistan. The Men in Green will be sweating on the fitness of their star batter, who sustained a knee injury during the clash against India. 

Middle Order – Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Asif Ali

Although Pakistan won the nail-biting encounter against arch-rivals India, Fakhar Zaman won't be remembering the game too fondly as he had an off day in the field. The middle-order batter contributed to India's total with two outrageous misfields, coupled with a dropped catch. He has looked sluggish in the tournament so far but the team management will hope for better games from him in the future.

Iftikhar Ahmed did not have much to do in the game against India in the middle as Khushdil Shah, and Asif Ali brought Pakistan to the cusp of victory. But, it was his shot down the wicket that sealed their victory in a tense final over of the epic clash.

Asif Ali is renowned for his power-hitting abilities, and he did exactly that for Pakistan as he hammered Indian pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar for a maximum and a boundary in the penultimate over of the match, which yielded 19 runs. He was given a reprieve early in his innings and utilized it to full effect with his blistering cameo.

All-rounders – Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz

Khushdil Shah snaffled the all-important catch of Indian skipper Rohit Sharma, who was taking the game away from Pakistan in the first innings. The all-rounder also contributed with handy runs in the crucial partnership with Asif Ali in the death overs.

Shadab Khan's stature as a bowler in international cricket is getting bigger with each match. The 23-year-old was once again amidst the wickets, scalping the crucial wickets of KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant in the previous encounter. Pakistan will be hoping for more of the same from the leggie in the game against Afghanistan.

The player of the match in the blockbuster clash against India, Mohammad Nawaz, singlehandedly turned the tide in favor of Pakistan with his sensational power-hitting. Recognized for his bowling exploits, Nawaz scored 42 runs off just 20 deliveries to provide impetus to the Pakistani chase.

Bowlers – Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Naseem Shah

The stats will show that Haris Rauf had a poor outing against India, but it is far from the truth as the rapid pacer bowled an exceptional death over to restrict India to 181 runs. He provided the pivotal breakthrough for Pakistan by halting the threatening opening stand between Rohit and Rahul. 

Shahnawaz Dahani suffered a side strain in the lead-up to the game against India which saw him reduced to a seat on the sidelines. The right-arm pacer is set to feature in the game against Afghanistan after making a speedy recovery.

Naseem Shah had a forgetful outing in his previous game against India as he was taken to the cleaners in the powerplay. The young fast bowling sensation leaked 45 runs in his four overs and will be hoping for a much-improved performance in the upcoming Super 4 clash.

Here's Pakistan XI for Afghanistan clash: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shahnawaz Dahani, Naseem Shah