PAK vs AFG: Pakistan will lock horns against their Asian counterparts Afghanistan on 23 October at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Never lost any ODI to Afghanistan, Pakistan will enter the ground with an aim to maintain this good record in their favor at Chennai. It will be an overcast but hot and scorching day in Chennai and this post reads the PAK vs AFG Rain Prediction, Weather Forecast of Chennai, and Pitch Report.
Table of Contents
One-sided records always look ravishing to the eyes of the record-holding nation and this time it is Pakistan against Afghanistan. Afghanistan have never won any ODI match against Pakistan in the past and Pakistan hold up the winning record of 7-0 in favor of themselves. But there are high chances this time around that Afghans can break the Pakistan jinx at Chennai, India.
Afghanistan entered the tournament riding over some of the best performances of their lives but got a really bad start. They lost the first two matches against Bangladesh and India but made a strong comeback against England and won by 69 runs. Though they lost the next against New Zealand by as many as 149 runs, Afghanistan would like to erase those memories and take on Pakistan with a purpose.
Pakistan, on the other hand, got a strong start winning both of their first matches, they also entered the top 4 of the ICC World Cup Points table once but things turned around after they met India. They lost to India by 7 wickets and next they also lost to out-of-form Australia by 60+ runs.
Pakistan are going through form issues with some players when they have a weak bench strength. The opener Imam-Ul-Haq has been out of form for a couple of months but there is no replacement option on the bench except for Fakhar who, himself, suffering through a similar phase.
The skipper Babar Azam has shown some glimpses of his form but not an innings of his standards. However, he is a player of the big stage and hopefully, he will prove it today again. Rizwan has been in exceptional form and he is there at the top 3 run-scorers list as well so he will be looking for more runs.
Down below is the PAK vs AFG Rain Prediction, Weather Forecast of Chennai, Pitch Report, and Prediction of who will win the Pakistan vs Afghanistan match:
PAK vs AFG Weather Forecast
A hot but overcast day in Chennai City. Chennai has very hot and scorchy kind of weather throughout the year. Today, on 23 October 2023, the temperature of Chennai City is expected to peak at 33°C in the afternoon and drop further as the sun goes down.
Humidity is predicted to hover between 50-70% in the match hours and winds will gust towards the Southeast at a speed of <12Kmh during the day.
PAK vs AFG Rain Prediction
There are very minimal chances of rain in Chennai City of Tamil Nadu. The rain possibility is under 5% during the match hours, however, there will be ~40% of the sky covered under clouds. An overcast day for Pakistan vs Afghanistan is what weather.com predicts. Though, as it is aforementioned, the weather here in Chennai is usually hot so expect a tough day for athletes on the ground.
Pitch Report of MA Chidambaram Stadium
A ground well known for its spin-friendly nature, MA Chidambaram Stadium (also known as Chepauk) welcomes the Asian sides. Afghanistan and Pakistan, both have a wealth of good spinners and spin-playing batters, so it will be an even-steven contest.
The pitch often has strong carry and bounce at the beginning, keeping seam bowlers comfortable. Spinners gain the edge as the game progresses, and hitting can be difficult when the surface weakens in the latter innings. A captain who wins the toss may choose to bat first and put up a significant total.
Who will Win Pakistan vs Afghanistan?
Pakistan looked uncomfortable with their Afghanistan fixture at Chennai prior to the start of the World Cup. Pakistan have good spinners in their team but none of them even touches the bars of Mujeeb and Rashid and that is where the PCB concern starts. But Pakistan do have batters like Babar, Imam, and Rizwan who are very strong when it comes to playing spin.
Though the contest is neck-to-neck as it is a spin-friendly surface, Pakistan will win the game owing to their better batting line-up and in-form fast bowling.
READ: IND vs NZ: ICC World Cup 2023 Points Table Updated (October 22)
Visit the ICC OFFICIAL WEBSITE for more recent updates.