Sports
Asia Cup, PAK vs AFG: Babar Azam elects to field
Pakistan face a sturdy-looking Afghanistan in Wednesday's Super Four clash in Asia Cup 2022. The Men in Green, who recently beat India, will be hoping to extend their winning streak. If Pakistan beat Afghanistan, they will qualify for the final alongside Sri Lanka. India will then be eliminated. Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has won the toss and elected to field.
Here are the two teams
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, MohammadNabi (captain), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi. Pakistan (Playing XI): Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah.
Pitch report, timing, and TV listing
The Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host this affair. Sides batting first have won 17 of 28 T20Is. Teams should look to score around 175-185. The wicket will aid both batters and bowlers, as has been the norm in the tourney underway. The match will be telecast live on Star Sports Network (7:30 PM IST) and live-streamed on the Hotstar app.
Here is the head-to-head record
Pakistan have a 2-0 lead over Afghanistan in T20Is. Their maiden meet was during a one-off T20I in 2013, which Pakistan won by six wickets. Pakistan then bested the Afghans by five wickets in the 2021 T20 World Cup, riding on Asif Ali's 7-ball 25*.
Decoding the qualification scenario
If Pakistan beat Afghanistan tonight, they will qualify for the final alongside Sri Lanka. In case Afghanistan beat Pakistan, the Men in Green can still qualify after defeating the Lankans. Pakistan will go ahead even if India beat Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka have nearly sealed the berth. They can only face turbulence if they lose to Pakistan, while Afghanistan beat both Pakistan and India.
