Asia Cup 2018 Super Four Match 2, Pakistan vs Afghanistan: Probable Playing XI
The second match of Super Four stage Asia Cup 2018 is a clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday, September 21.
Both teams have met each other once in the Asia Cup history with Pakistan winning the game by 72 runs. It is their second encounter in the history of Asia Cup.
Pakistan
India defeated Pakistan in the fifth match of Asia Cup by eight wickets. They are looking for a comeback after the loss.
The openers will be Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq. Shan Masood is a great player for Pakistan in Tests.
So he must be given a chance to play for the nation in ODIs. The middle order will be mainly powered by Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik. The main spinner will be Shadab Khan.
Hasan Ali will lead the pace attack. Usman Khan won the Man of the Match award in the game against Hong Kong where he picked up three wickets. Currently, he is in great form.
Probable XI- Sarfraz Ahmed(c & wk), Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Shan Masood/Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Usman Khan and Mohammad Amir.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan won the match against Bangladesh by 136 runs on 20 September at Abu Dhabi.
Rashid Khan was the Man of the Match as he scored a half-century and picked up two crucial wickets of Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah.
Also, a 95-run partnership between Naib and Rashid propelled the team to a total of 255 of their 50 overs. Shahidi scored a sensible 58 run knock against Bangladesh.
Afghans had a great match with the ball as they bundled out Bangladesh to a total of 119 of 42.1 overs.
The openers will be Ihsanullah Janat and Mohammad Shahzad. The middle order will mostly rely on Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Asghar Afghan, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan.
The vital spinners will be Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. The seam unit will mainly hinge on Gulbadin Naib and Aftab Alam.
Probable XI- Asghar Afghan(c), Mohammad Shahzad(wk), Ihsanullah Janat/Javed Ahmadi, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam and Mujeeb Ur Rahman.