A determined Pakistan will likely be cautious of a reliable group of Afghanistan spinners’ capacity to strike onerous on an often-gripping Chepauk pitch throughout the World Cup match in Chennai on Monday. A win is necessary for Babar Azam’s facet after two successive defeats in opposition to India and Australia, as one other slip up will severely hamper their ambitions to achieve the semifinals of the match. Currently, they’re within the fifth place with 4 factors from as many matches however their internet run charge of -0.456 is a fear, and it wants enchancment. Pakistan’s large headache will likely be their batsmen’s travails, particularly in opposition to spinners.

Even on a batting magnificence in Bengaluru, their batters gave 4 essential wickets to Aussie leg-spinner Adam Zampa, they usually struggled to learn his skidders.

Afghanistan have plain high quality of their spin ranks as Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman can actually bother the very best, and on a doubtlessly beneficial floor right here they will kick up a mayhem.

In that context, Pakistan will want some regular effort from their batters notably from Babar, who’ve been underwhelming on this occasion to date.

Mohammad Rizwan, the present match top-scorer with 294 runs, has completed the majority of labor with the bat for them.

But remainder of the middle-order batters like Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed haven’t completed sufficient to maintain confidence in them.

Pakistan’s bowling too has not evoked a lot hope both. Traditionally, their bowlers have chipped in when their batters go off the boil, however this time they’ve probably not stepped as much as the event.

Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi confirmed some indicators of regaining his vary with a five-wicket haul in opposition to Australia on the M Chinnaswamy stadium.

But the type of different two pacers Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali stays a priority as they’re nonetheless coming to phrases with the calls for of bowling contained in the Power Play.

Pakistan at all times had some helpful spinners supplementing the quick bowlers, however right here left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawas and leg-spinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir simply do not look the half.

They had been neither in a position to pluck wickets nor cease the circulate of runs, a major purpose behind Pakistan’s failure to exert management over their rivals within the center overs.

And that may exactly be the purpose Afghanistan will look to money in on tomorrow, and they’ll eye a greater outing from their batsmen.

Their batters, besides opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz, too have not been in a position to hearth in a desired method within the quadrennial large bash.

There have been flashes by Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai and Hashmathullah Shahidi however they should infuse some consistency into their efficiency as Pakistan are nonetheless a much more skilled opponent at such levels.

They additionally take pleasure in a 7-0 edge within the head-to-head stats in opposition to Afghanistan in ODIs.

Apart from the on-field calculations, the Pakistan vs Afghanistan rivalry has developed some needle to it over the previous couple of years.

If the groups can hearth themselves as much as the event, then we may see one other basic.

Afghanistan:Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman and Naveen ul Haq.

Pakistan:Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim.

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