After hammering Scotland by 130 runs in their tournament opener, a buoyant Afghanistan face bitter neigbhours Pakistan in a Super 12 match of ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021 in Dubai, UAE on Friday. Pakistan are the team to beat in Group 2 after their convincing wins against pre-tournament favourites, India and New Zealand.
Despite a chaotic build-up to the tournament, Afghanistan have impressed everyone with their fearless brand of cricket. The Mohammad Nabi-led side will hope for a clinical performance against the 2009 champions. And they have the personnel to do that. If the likes of Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran can score big, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-Ur Rahman can spin their way to victories. And in skipper Mohammad Nabi, Afghans have a capable leader.
Pakistan, often chided for their unpredictability, have been fascinating thus far, to say the least. A revelation, indeed. They are now billed as the favourites. In skipper Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan, they have a sensational opening pair. Then there are seasoned batters, Mohammed Hafeez and Shoaib Malik, giving solidity to the line-up.
They also have one of the most potent pace attacks in the tournament, featuring Shaheen Shah Afridi, Harris Rauf, Hasan Ali, etc.
Head-to-head
This will be the second T20I meeting between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan won their only meeting so far by six wickets in 2013 in Sharjah.
Overall, Pakistan have played 179 matches, with a win-loss record of 109-65. There were five no results too. They are on a six-match unbeaten run, winning three of those.
The last time they met in a World Cup match (50 overs), rivals fans fought outside the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds in 2019.
Match and telecast details
Match: ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021, Group 2 Super 12 match - Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Date: October 29 (Friday), 2021
Time: 7:30 PM IST/ 6:00 PM Local
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
TV Channels: Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada
Live Streaming: Disney+ Hotstar
Playing XIs in the last match
Afghanistan (vs Scotland): Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Karim Janat, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Pakistan (vs New Zealand): Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi.
Squads
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Hazratullah Zazai, Usman Ghani, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Shahzad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan, Fareed Ahmad.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammed Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Hasan Ali, Harris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohamed Nawaz, Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammed Wasim, Sohaib Maqsood.
