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

After a brilliant start to the tournament, Afghanistan lost their first match of the tournament against Sri Lanka. In order to stay alive in the tournament, they need to make sure of a win against Pakistan in Super 4.

Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan previously said how the team has enough firepower to beat Pakistan but reality can be a bit different. With a win over their arch-nemeses India, Pakistan look like a rock solid team. Thus, beating them is not going to be an easy task for Afghanistan. Meanwhile, will Afghanistan make any changes to their playing XI? 

Here's Afghanistan's Predicted XI:

Openers: Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been fantastic in the tournament so far, while Hazratullah Zazai has also shown some form with the bat. The duo has a total of 144 runs in the tournament so far, with Gurbaz going after the attack right from the start.

With a score of 85 off 45 balls against Sri Lanka, Gurbaz has scored 135 runs in the tournament so far and is the third-leading scorer, behind Mohammad Rizwan and Virat Kohli. Gurbaz can take the attack to the opposition right from the first ball and that is what the team would want him to do.

Gurbaz's partner Zazai has blown hot and cold and has scored 73 runs in the tournament so far. The 23-year-old lacked consistency and even when he has got a start, the southpaw has failed to capitalise. The southpaw needs to address that fact and compliment his good starts.

Middle Order: Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran and Karim Janat

Ibrahim Zadran is known to provide the much-needed stability in the middle. The youngster has played some good cricket in the tournament so far. The Men in Green will definitely look forward to getting him out early.

Najibullah Zadran’s blistering knock of 43 from 17 balls against Bangladesh proves what he can do when he gets going. His strength is to accelerate the innings at any point and that is what Afghanistan would want from him against Pakistan.

Karim Zanat normally bats at number five but may bat down in the order. He is yet to be tested in this year’s Asia Cup. He is known to stabilise the innings but at that number, he might need to take the attack to the opponent.

All-Rounders: Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan and Samiullah Shinwari

The captain of the ship, Mohammad Nabi is known to strike the ball well. He is yet to come to the party with his batting but took three wickets in the tournament. His form can be a bit concerning but a player like him can change the course of the game at any moment. 

Even though Rashid Khan only picked four wickets in the tournament so far, his impact is hard to measure. He has been economical and can conquer any batting line-up on a given day. Meanwhile, Samiullah Shinwari replaced Azmatullah Omarzai in the previous match and is likely to retain his place. The 35-year-old’s all round skill was not tested in the last match. However, he has 27 wickets and 1004 runs in in 64 T20Is.

Bowlers:  Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Naveen-ul-Haq picked three wickets in the tournament so far, which includes two against Sri Lanka in the previous match. However, the 22-year-old has been expensive and needs to work on his bowling to be a threat for the Pakistani batters.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman is in the form of his life as the Afghani spinner is the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. With seven wickets from three matches, the 21-year-old has shown what he can do. He can bowl in the powerplay and that is a big plus point from Afghanistan’s point of view.

Fazalhaq Farooqi picked three wickets in the tournament and all three came in the first match against Sri Lanka. Thus, he is wicketless in the last two matches. It needs to be seen how he fights back into form. 

Here’s Afghanistan’s predicted playing XI: Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, and, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c)  Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shinwari, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi.