The ICC World Cup 2023 has entered a thrilling phase where every match has now become do-or-die for every team, except for New Zealand and India, as they look to seal a spot in the semi-finals.
Pakistan and Afghanistan — both teams that are on thin ice — are all set to lock horns in the 22nd match of the mega event at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India, on Monday.
Pakistan have lost back-to-back matches against India and Australia in Ahmedabad and Bengaluru, respectively, by big margins and have no room for error as any loss from here can seriously damage their hopes of playing the semi-final.
On the other hand, Afghanistan, too, lost their last encounter against New Zealand at the same venue but they may still be in high spirits after recording the first upset of this World Cup by beating the mighty England on October 15.
Hashmatullah Shahidi’s men will count on their spin attack taking full advantage of Chennai’s track which has favoured spinners historically.
Meanwhile, Babar Azam will expect that his spinners — who have been struggling badly and have failed to give their side breakthroughs when needed — will turn up and perform in a must-win match.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan has turned into a mini-rivalry over the years courtesy of close encounters between the two nations across two different formats, T20I and 50 overs. Pakistan have two wins and two losses in their World Cup matches while Afghanistan only have one win in this mega event. Any outcome other than a victory would make things difficult for Babar Azam-led Pakistan in the World Cup.
Pitch report
The surface in Chennai is among the most spin-friendly wickets in India. In the first World Cup contest at this venue, which was played between India and Australia, the wicket favoured spinners. However, in the second game between New Zealand and Bangladesh, the pitch assisted pacers as well. Meanwhile, in the third match between New Zealand and Afghanistan, the pitch was supportive of pacers more. The toss-winning captain would opt to bowl first as the ball turns during the day and makes it difficult for the team to bowl second because of dew, which comes later and helps the batters.
Head-to-Head record
The two sides have met each other seven times in ODIs with Pakistan emerging winners in all the matches. Pakistan and Afghanistan faced one another in the 2019 World Cup where Imad Wasim guided his side to a famous victory.
Probable Playing XIs
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq
Pakistan: Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Hasan Ali, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf