- Saturday, May 10, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
POLITICALLY, the relations between the two neighbours have been a roller-coaster ride over the past many years but when it comes to 22 yards, Pakistan and Afghanistan have always been fierce competitors. Their last encounter in the 2019 ICC World Cup is a testimony to this fact.
The two Asian sides will meet in a crucial Group 2 fixture in the ongoing T20 World Cup at Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai on Friday (29). Pakistan are currently leading the table with two wins out of two – both of which have come against strong teams like India and New Zealand – while Afghanistan have hammered Scotland so mercilessly in their only game so far that they have a brilliant net run-rate of 6.5. They are currently placed second in the points table and a win over Pakistan will leave the group wide open.
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The only time the two sides have met in a T20 game was in December 2013 and Pakistan had won that match in Sharjah by six wickets. However, much has happened since then and Afghanistan are now a Test-playing nation. A win in Dubai will put Afghanistan at the zenith of the points table and a win over a low-ranked Namibia would see them turning a strong contender for the semi-final berths. A win for Pakistan will certainly confirm a semi-final spot for Babar Azam’s men.
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Pakistan: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wicket-keeper), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Asghar Afghan, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Jannat, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
