Afghanistan vs Pakistan Prediction: Who will win today's Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 match?
The Asia Cup always brings drama, and the 2022 edition has been no different. India, arguably the outright favorites to capture the continental crown, are staring at elimination, having suffered two close losses in the Super 4 stage. Secretly smiling as a result are Pakistan, who can book a final date with Sri Lanka if they manage to beat Afghanistan on Wednesday, September 7.
At the start of the Super 4 stage, Pakistan wouldn't have expected to be in this position. Opening the tournament with a loss to India, the Men in Green would've envisioned a path to the final to lead to a third clash against their arch-rivals. But Rohit Sharma and Co. have fallen before the final hurdle, something Afghanistan will also do if they don't manage to arrest their skid immediately.
On the back of a harrowing loss to Sri Lanka, Mohammad Nabi's men need to dig deep against an opposition that is putting together the pieces of the puzzle and braving constant injuries. In a welcome piece of news for Pakistan, wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan, who appeared to tweak his knee against India, has been adjudged fit for the encounter.
Will another team that was unbeaten in the group stage bite the dust on Wednesday? Or will the Super 4 stage have some life in it going towards the weekend?
Asia Cup 2022: Confident Pakistan eye continuation of perfect T20I record vs Afghanistan
Pakistan's batting approach in the powerplay might be unsustainable in the long run, but it's working right now. The sheer weight of Rizwan's runs has managed to mask Babar Azam's failures at the top, with the middle order coming up with vital contributions at crucial junctures.
At various stages of the 2022 Asia Cup, Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz and Asif Ali have pitched in for Pakistan, causing the batting lineup to wear an increasingly well-rounded look. Nawaz's promotion, in particular, worked wonders for the team against India, and maximizing the utility of their all-rounders will be on Pakistan's agenda while facing Afghanistan as well.
The new-ball threat posed by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman will certainly ask some questions of Rizwan and Azam, who can't afford to let the powerplay slip by against a team that has Rashid Khan waiting to be unleashed in the middle overs. If Pakistan lose a couple of early wickets, they could find themselves under immense pressure on a Sharjah surface that has been pretty unpredictable in the Asia Cup.
Find out more about India's position in the Asia Cup 2022 points table here.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, will want Rahmanullah Gurbaz to continue his scintillating form at the top of the order. The young opener will have his task cut out against Pakistan's right-handed pace trio, who have consistently threatened to produce breakthroughs in the tournament thus far. The middle order isn't exactly settled though, and early inroads could spell doom for the Afghans as well.
Overall, Afghanistan have the bowlers to seriously challenge Pakistan. However, their batting is unlikely to stand up against the might of the opposition bowlers. While Afghanistan are definitely in with a chance, they've never beaten Pakistan before in two T20I meetings and that record might be extended on Wednesday. India might find themselves out of the Asia Cup far sooner than expected.
Prediction: Pakistan to win Match 4 of the Super 4 stage of the Asia Cup