Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Can Pakistan Whitewash Afghanistan?

Cricket

Afghanistan vs Pakistan: Babar Azam’s Pakistan (PAK) have an unbeatable lead (2-0) in the three-match ODI series after edging Afghanistan (AFG) by one wicket in the second ODI. On Saturday, August 26, the third and final ODI will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo between the two teams.

As they did in the last game, Afghanistan will want to put up a strong fight and win this series. Both teams will focus their attention on the vital Asia Cup 2023, which is scheduled to begin on August 30, after the ODI series is over.

The 3rd match between Afghanistan vs Pakistan will take place on August 26th, 2023 at R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Match Details to Note:

Match: Afghanistan vs Pakistan 3rd ODI

Date: August 26th, 2023 (Saturday)

Time: 03:00 PM IST

Venue: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo.

Afghanistan vs Pakistan

Afghanistan (Match Odds- 3.20)

Preview

The entire series has been dominated by Pakistan over Afghanistan. They skittled Afghanistan for a dismal score of 59 in the opening ODI game, showing their brutality. In the last one-day international, Afghanistan’s opening pair of Gurbaz and Zadran dominated the majority of the first innings by scoring a record-breaking 227 runs together to take their team to a commanding 300. Pakistan reached their objective with just 1 wicket and 1 ball remaining despite putting in a good batting effort.

Full Squad:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (Captain), Abdul Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Riaz Hassan, Rashid Khan, Wafadar Momand, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Saleem, Rahmat Shah, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran.

Players to watch out for:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Afghan cricketer Rahmanullah Gurbaz plays the game. In September 2019, he made his Afghanistan debut on the world stage. Prior to the IPL 2023, he was moved to the Kolkata Knight Riders, representing the two-time IPL champions. He debuted versus the Punjab Kings.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan has the potential to be the greatest cricketing youngster ever. At the age of 18, he not only developed into a vital member of the Afghanistan cricket team but also flaunted a coveted contract from the financially lucrative Indian Premier League, a league that takes great satisfaction in being painfully indifferent to sentimental ideas.

Possible Playing XI:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Shahidullah Kamal

Pakistan (Match Odds- 1.35)

Preview

Pakistan had dominated Afghanistan throughout the entire series. In the first ODI match, they brutally skittled Afghanistan, scoring a pitiful 59. Gurbaz and Zadran, Afghanistan’s opening combination, controlled the majority of the first innings of the most recent one-day international by scoring a record-breaking 227 runs combined to push their team to a dominant 300. Despite putting forth a strong batting effort, Pakistan succeeded in achieving their goal with just 1 wicket and 1 ball remaining.

Full Squad:

Shadab Khan (captain), Abdullah Shafique, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Ihsanullah, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood, Tayyab Tahir, Zaman Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Babar Azam,

Players to watch out for:

Shaheen Afridi

As evidenced by his two wickets in the second ODI, the speed merchant has been in excellent form. In addition, he only allowed 58 runs in his allotted 10 overs while maintaining an average economy of 5.80. Shaheen will be looking to repeat a similar performance in the third ODI as well.

Babar Azam

The Pakistan skipper notched up his half-century in the previous outing as he scored 53 off 66 balls, which included six boundaries. Babar will look to keep his momentum intact and score yet another invaluable knock in the upcoming match against Afghanistan.

Possible Playing XI:

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Afghanistan vs Pakistan Head to Head:

Total 6 matches have been played between them and Pakistan have won all six.

Afghanistan vs Pakistan Toss Prediction:

It is one of the uncommon wickets in ODI matches where batting first teams enjoy an advantage. The surface grows harder to bat on as the game goes on, and the spinners start spinning the ball sharply. Therefore, the team that wins the toss will attempt to bat first.

Afghanistan vs Pakistan Pitch Report:

The R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has a strong batting surface. However, pacers will have some assistance at first, whereas spinners won’t enter the game until later on. On this pitch, batters will be rewarded for their hits, and a match with a moderate level of competition can be anticipated. In the second inning, hitting will be quite simple. Any captain who wins the toss will therefore be interested in chasing at this location.

Afghanistan vs Pakistan Match Prediction:

Pakistan currently leads and has 2-0 advantage in the series. Although the series has been hotly contested thus far, Pakistan has managed to defeat every opponent. They had excellent ball control in the first game, and they had tremendous resiliency to steal the victory from Afghanistan in the last-over thriller in the second game. As they are yet to win their first ODI victory against Pakistan, Afghanistan’s ODI record against them is also not encouraging. The last ODI match is plainly favouring Pakistan to win.

We are predicting Pakistan to win the game at the odds of 1.35