Afghanistan and Pakistan will square off in the first ODI of the three-game series on Tuesday, August 22, at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, in Hambantota, Sri Lanka. Both teams have played four ODI games so far with Pakistan winning all four occasions.
Afghanistan last played an away ODI series against Bangladesh in July, which they won by a margin of 2-1. Pakistan, on the other hand, have played a five-game ODI series against New Zealand at home. The Babar Azam-led side clinched the series quite convincingly by a margin of 4-1.
AFG vs PAK Match Details
Afghanistan vs Pakistan, 1st ODI Match
Venue: Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota
Date & Time: Tuesday, August 22, 03:00 PM IST
Live Streaming Details: FanCode
AFG vs PAK Head-to-head
Played – 4, Afghanistan – 0, Pakistan – 4
Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium Pitch Report
Speaking of the pitch up on offer, it benefits pacers with the new ball, while spinners will get assistance as the game progresses. The average first-innings score in the 50-over format at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium is 249 runs. In the 24 ODIs contested at the venue, the team chasing and batting first has won the game in most of the cases as the wickets have often been a struggle for chasing teams as the pitch gets slower during the later stages of the game. Hence, the skipper winning the toss will prefer to bat first at this venue.
AFG vs PAK Probable Playing XI
Afghanistan (AFG)
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Noor AhmadIndia (IND)
Pakistan (PAK)
Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Iftikhar Ahmed/Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah
Probable Best Performers
Probable Best Batter
Babar Azam (Pakistan)
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam will be the one batter to watch out for in the first ODI against Afghanistan. The 28-year-old has so far scored 5089 runs in 100 games, including 18 centuries at an average of 59.17. He last played an ODI game against New Zealand in May 2023. He is expected to carry forward his batting skills as well as his leadership skills in the upcoming game.
Probable Best Bowler
Fazalhaq Farooqi (Afghanistan)
Fazalhaq Farooqi may turn out to be the bowler to watch out for in the first ODI between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The 22-year-old pacer has taken 27 wickets from 16 ODI games at an average of 22.59, thus far. He last played for Afghanistan in the three-game ODI series against Bangladesh, which they won by 2-1. He won the Player of the Series award, having picked up a total of eight wickets.
Today’s Match Prediction: Team batting first to win the match
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