ICC World Cup, PAK vs AFG: Pitch and weather report
Pakistan will be up against Afghanistan in Match 22 of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup. After winning their first two fixtures, the Men in Green lost two on the trot. Meanwhile, Afghanistan cannot be taken lightly as they stunned defending champions England earlier in the tournament. They, however, have lost three of their four games. Here is the pitch and weather report.
A look at the track conditions
Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium will host the match on October 23 (2:00pm IST). The surface will be on the slower side and will aid the spinners. The track, however, is likely to get eased out for batting as the match progresses. Chasing teams have won two of the three games here in the ongoing tournament.
Will rain play any part?
The weather forecast on the match day looks promising with no chances of rain. As per Accuweather, it will be a warm day with the sun shining bright. The temperature would range between 32 and 35 degrees Celsius. The humidity levels are expected to be around 60%. Hence, dew can play a part in the latter stages of the game.
Here are the stadium stats
Chepauk has witnessed 37 ODIs to date with teams batting first winning 18 and losing as many games. The average first-innings score is 226. In 2007, Asia XI registered the highest total of 337/7 batting first against Africa XI. While Pakistan have won both their ODIs at this venue, Afghanistan suffered defeat in their solitary outing here in the format.
A look at the two probable XIs
Pakistan probable XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf. Afghanistan probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (WK), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
