PAK vs AFG 22nd Match Prediction

PAK vs AFG Team Previews

Pakistan

Pakistan started strongly, winning its first two matches of the tournament. However, the team has faltered in the last week and has now faced back-to-back losses against India and Australia. As a result, they have fallen off the top 4 on the table. While there are still plenty of matches to go, Pakistan must up its game to avoid slipping further.

Abdullah Shafique, who has replaced Fakhar Zaman at the top of the order, has repaid the faith shown in him by the selectors. He scored a brisk half-century against a quality Australian bowling attack and that should give the youngster plenty of confidence.

Imam Ul-Haq was undergoing a lean patch but turned things around on Friday as he scored a half-century. While the form of middle-order batsmen including Babar Azam, Iftikhar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz remains a concern, Mohammad Rizwan has once again proved to be a dependable performer and is the top-scorer of the tournament so far.

Pakistan will need to work on its bowling as it has been one of the big letdowns so far. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Hasan Ali have picked up 24 wickets between them, they have been way too expensive, with each of them going over 6 runs an over.

In the absence of a quality spin attack, the role of the seamers is even more important and they will need to be more disciplined with their line and length. Usama Mir has recovered from his injury and it will be interesting to see what role he plays going ahead. 

Afghanistan

Barring its astonishing win over defending champions England, the performance of Afghanistan has left a lot to be desired. With a couple of difficult fixtures coming up, the team will have to work on all aspects of the game to keep their hopes alive.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz has shown flashes of brilliance at the top of the order but he will need better support from Ibrahim Zadran. Similarly, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai have played well in patches but they will need to be more consistent going ahead.

Rahmat Shah and Najibullah Zadran haven’t played to their full potential in this World Cup. Ikram Alikhil, who has replaced Najibullah in the last couple of matches looks promising and may play an important role going ahead.

Coming to the bowling, Rashid Khan has expectedly been the best performer with 6 wickets. He has received good support from Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has 4 against his name. Mohammad Nabi however has struggled.

Naveen Ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi will start with the new ball. The duo has picked up 6 wickets between them but has been quite expensive.