T20 World Cup, Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Preview, stats, and more
Afghanistan and Pakistan face each other in the 12th Super 12 match of the 2021 T20 World Cup on Friday. The match is set to be held in Dubai. Pakistan have started the tournament in a bright fashion, beating India and New Zealand. They are the favorites to top Group 2. Afghanistan overcame Scotland in their opening match. Here's the complete match preview.
Key details about the match
The match will be held at the Dubai International Stadium (7:30 PM IST). The pitch is well balanced and promises aplenty. Batters need to be patient and play as per their strengths. In the three Super 12 matches held here, teams chasing have won all. One can watch the match live on the Star Sports Network and stream the same on Disney+ Hotstar.
Here is the head-to-head record
The two teams have met just once in T20Is. Pakistan beat Afghanistan by six wickets in the lone encounter in 2013. Notably, Pakistan have won all five of their white-ball meetings with Afghanistan (4 ODIs, 1 T20I).
Afghanistan showed character against Scotland
In their opening match, Afghanistan enjoyed a stellar performance versus Scotland. In an all-round show, the Afghans played some smart cricket to come out strong. Their major strength is the form of the two spinners - Mujeeb ur Rahman and Rashid Khan. The batting looks favorable as well with plenty of experience riding. However, facing Pakistan's new-ball bowlers will be enormous.
Pakistan are the side to beat in T20 WC 2021
Gaining two massive wins against India and New Zealand respectively has made Babar Azam's men the team to beat in the tourney. Pakistan have been terrific on the field so far. Pacer Shaheen Afridi has led by example. Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, and Imad Wasim have been strong as a support cast. Mohammad Rizwan holds the key with the bat.
A look at the probable XI of both teams
Afghanistan probable XI: Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rahman Pakistan probable XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf
A look at the top performers
Mohammad Hafeez has scored 2,440 runs and can get to a milestone of 2,500 in T20Is. Shoaib Malik needs six fours to register a milestone of 200 (194). Mohammad Rizwan is 23 shy of the 1,200-run mark (1,177). Rashid Khan has claimed 99 T20I wickets and can become just the fourth bowler with 100-plus scalps.
