ICC T20 WC, PAK vs AFG Highlights: Pakistan completes hat-trick of wins

Batting first, Afghanistan scored a competitive 147 for six against Pakistan in their Group 2 Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup on Friday

6:40 PM

Toss Alert

Toss in a few minutes

6:28 PM

If Pakistan win toss, they should look to bat first, says Inzamam

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said on Friday that if Pakistan win the toss in their Group 2 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against Afghanistan on Friday, then they should look to bat first. He said that the reason behind saying so was for Pakistan to test their batting strength and defence of the target by the bowlers. Pakistan are sitting on top of the points table in Group 2 and play their third match of Super 12 in Dubai.

 

"Pakistan have won matches against India and New Zealand by bowling first. This is Pakistan's third strong match in the group stage but there won't be any tough matches after this as they play Namibia and Scotland. I think if Pakistan win the toss, they should bat first and test their batting strength and then ask the bowlers to defend the target," Inzamam said on his Youtube channel.

 

"There is dew in the second half of the match and our bowlers should have the practice to bowl in such conditions. This will help us if we face such a scenario in the semifinals. Toss can be won by any captain. I feel that till the time we reach semifinals, we shouldn't be worried about bowling later and batting first in the match," added Inzamam, who was chief selector of Pakistan from 2016 till 2019.

 

The 51-year-old advised Pakistan to not take Afghanistan's batting lightly.

6:05 PM

If Pakistan win toss, they should look to bat first, says Inzamam

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said on Friday that if Pakistan win the toss in their Group 2 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup against Afghanistan on Friday, then they should look to bat first. He said that the reason behind saying so was for Pakistan to test their batting strength and defence of the target by the bowlers. Pakistan are sitting on top of the points table in Group 2 and play their third match of Super 12 in Dubai.

 

"Pakistan have won matches against India and New Zealand by bowling first. This is Pakistan's third strong match in the group stage but there won't be any tough matches after this as they play Namibia and Scotland. I think if Pakistan win the toss, they should bat first and test their batting strength and then ask the bowlers to defend the target," Inzamam said on his Youtube channel.

 

"There is dew in the second half of the match and our bowlers should have the practice to bowl in such conditions. This will help us if we face such a scenario in the semifinals. Toss can be won by any captain. I feel that till the time we reach semifinals, we shouldn't be worried about bowling later and batting first in the match," added Inzamam, who was chief selector of Pakistan from 2016 till 2019.

 

The 51-year-old advised Pakistan to not take Afghanistan's batting lightly.

6:05 PM

Dew in the desert, flip of the coin proving decisive at T20 World Cup

Cricket is a sport which is played professionally on large playgrounds and 22 yards, but ironically small margins and key components like toss, nature of the pitch, dew, right playing XI, etc decide the outcome of the game.

 

In the ongoing Men's T20 World Cup, the flip of the coin and dew are making a huge impact on the result of every game. With nine of 10 winners so far in the Super 12 stage of the mega event coming from the team batting second, winning the toss is proving a key element.

 

As a result, the captain winning the toss has no hesitation in electing to field.

 

So the formula for captains and the teams in the UAE has been simple: win the toss, bowl first, chase down the total and win. The only exception has been Afghanistan's 130-run hammering of Scotland, where the order of innings was irrelevant.

 

And it's not happening for the first or last time on a cricket playground. Dew was also a concern in the previous editions of T20 World Cups. It was also evident in IPL matches played on the same three venues in the UAE in the past month, with the chasing team winning 15 of the last 20 games.

5:51 PM

Rashid recalls 2019 WC scuffle, urges fans to just stay calm ahead of Pakistan game

Recalling the clash that broke out between fans of his team and Pakistan at the end of the 2019 World Cup match between them, Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan on Thursday urged the supporters of both sides to stay calm and just enjoy the game.

 

During the match on June 29, 2019, a scuffle broke out between Pakistan and Afghanistan fans outside the Headingley Cricket Ground in Leeds after an aircraft was spotted flying in the area that unfurled a "Justice for Balochistan" banner in the sky.

 

A number of videos surfaced showing the violent clashes during the first half of the game, leading to their eviction.

 

"After the 2019 World Cup match, whatever happened shouldn't have happened. But this is the kind of request to all the fans, whatever there is that comes at the end, at the end of the day this game gives lots of unity to the nations and brings them together, not to have those kinds of accidents," Rashid said.

5:50 PM

Preview

Their confidence sky-high after two consecutive victories, Pakistan's razor-sharp attack will test the prowess and maturity of Afghanistan's impressive batters when the two teams clash in a Super 12 Group 2 match in the T20 World Cup here on Friday.

 

The impressive wins over India and New Zealand has made Pakistan the team to watch out in this tournament but the unpredictability factor that has always surrounded this team is something what their Asian neighbours can benefit from.

 

The Babar Azam-led side will certainly go into this contest as favourites but Afghanistan is not a side that can be taken lightly now. A mix of powerful strikers and world-class spinners make them an exciting unit.

 

Afghanistan batters dominated the Scotland bowlers with their power-hitting but now they have to contend with an attack which is one of the most dangerous in this event.

 

They will have to show maturity and treat the balls on merit. Going after the attack blindly is not an option against Pakistan.

 

If Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran can muscle the ball around, the world-class spinners in Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-Ur Rahman make Afghanistan a very balanced side.

 

Bowling first looks the best option for them since Rashid and Rahman have the ability to stop even the best in the world. The batters can then devise a strategy around the chase since they do not lack the killer instinct but are still inexperienced to handle big-stage pressure matches.