The Pakistan cricket team will play their third match of the Super 12 stage in the ICC T20 World Cup against Afghanistan at the Dubai International Stadium today (Friday), as both teams, so far undefeated, eye to seal their berth in the semi-finals of the world’s biggest tournament.
A weekend capacity crowd is expected from amongst the huge expatriate population of both nations who live and work in the Gulf.
With two early wins, Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semi-finals are bright. However, given the conditions in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Afghanistan’s performances so far, Afghanistan is also considered a dangerous side.
Pakistan thrashed India well in the first match, beating the team by 10 wickets. They also easily defeated the Kiwis in their second match.
Afghanistan have emerged as a dangerous side in the tournament as in their warm-up match, they easily defeated defending champions West Indies. They also beat Scotland by a huge margin of 130 runs in the Group Two match.
In bowling, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rehman will give a tough time to the batsmen of the opposing team, while Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shehzad and Asghar Afghan are in good form for batting performances.
The Green Shirts have also paved their way to reach the semi-finals with their convincing wins against India and New Zealand. Their bowlers and batsmen are both in good form. The morale of the players is high, but the Afghan team can no longer be called weak opponents. Whenever these two teams are face to face, an interesting match is a sure result.
The two teams played a thrilling match in World Cup 2019. Pakistan won it by three wickets.
