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Afghanistan will face Pakistan in the 4th match of the Super 4 in the Asia Cup 2022 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Afghanistan won both matches in the group stage to become the first team to qualify for the Super 4 of the cup whereas Pakistan registered one win and got defeated in one match during the group stage. A win against Afghanistan will clear Pakistan’s way to qualify for the finals whereas Afghanistan also needs a win to continue their campaign for the Asia Cup 2022.

In-form Mohammad Rizwan will be the key batter to tackle for Afghanistan’s bowlers in this match. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who has been a key wicket-taker for Afghanistan in this cup, needs to deliver magical spells against Pakistan’s top-order batting lineup. 

Pakistan Preview

A constructive chase against India boosts the confidence of the Pakistani unit and with that momentum, they are going to face Afghanistan in their 2nd fixture of the Super 4 in the Asia Cup. A win in the upcoming match will strengthen their position to play in the finals of the cup.

After winning a toss against India in the last match, Babar Azam’s decision to bowl first was not justified by the team’s bowlers. As the pace attack suffered against the Indian batting unit, the spin duo of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan could manage to put pressure by taking 3 wickets in a combine. Few poor fielding efforts and expensive death overs cost them to concede 181 runs. Babar Azam’s struggle in the Asia Cup continued while chasing the target of 182 runs. 

A win against India has changed the dynamics of the team and will help Pakistan to play more fireless cricket in the upcoming matches. Their next fixture Afghanistan will be important as a win against Afghanistan will help them to maintain the top spot in the points table.

Afghanistan Preview

After a dominating performance in the group stage, Afghanistan failed to carry forward the momentum in the first game of the Super 4 against Sri Lanka. To continue their campaign for the Asia Cup 2022, they will face Pakistan in the upcoming match at Sharjah on 7th September.

In the last match against Sri Lanka, Afghanistan’s top-order batting lineup gave a solid start to the team. Rahmanullah Gurbaz played a fiery knock of 84 runs from 45 balls where he could manage to strike a ball with a rate of 186.66. The middle-order batters failed to convert that good start into a big total as the team ended up putting 175 runs on the board.

While defending the total of 176 runs, despite Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s economical spell of 2 wickets for 30 runs in his 4 overs, no other bowler could manage to put pressure on opponents and Sri Lanka chased down the target on the 1st ball of the 20th over

To tackle Pakistan’s attacking bowling unit, Afghanistan needs to utilize its batting strengths properly. A win against Pakistan will help them to stay in the race for the finals whereas a defeat in the upcoming match might end their campaign for Asia Cup 2022.

Weather Conditions

The weather will be clear on match day. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be in the 39°C – 24°C range.

Venue Details

Sharjah Cricket Ground from Sharjah will host this match. This ground has a capacity of 16000 and has conducted a few international as well as domestic games so far. 

Toss: To Bowl

The pitch offers an equal advantage to batsmen as well as bowlers. But in general, captains prefer to chase down the target here. At this location, whichever team wins the toss will want to bowl first.

Winning Prediction

By looking at both squads, Pakistan has a more balanced unit with a decent depth in the batting as well as a bowling unit. In-formed opener Mohammad Rizwan and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz will be the players to watch out for against Afghanistan which may easily tackle the challenge of Afghanistan’s bowling unit.

We predict that Pakistan will defeat Afghanistan!