Asia Cup 2018: Shoaib Akhtar eager to see how Afghanistan fare against Pakistan

The biggest draw so far in the 14th Asia cup currently underway in the United Arab Emirates has not been either India or Pakistan but Afghanistan. The lowest-ranked of all Test-playing nations featuring in the tournament, Asghar Afghan’s side stunned their opponents in both the games they have played so far to finish as the champions of Group B, something which has perhaps happened for the first time in their short history in international cricket so far.

Afghanistan thrashed former Asia Cup champions Sri Lanka by 91 runs in their first game on September 17 and on Thursday, they demolished Bangladesh, a Test team 18 years senior to them, winning the game by 136 runs. They bundled out both their opponents for 158 and 119, respectively, after their batsmen registered an average of the 250-plus scores. No other team in this tournament has been clinical so far.

Afghanistan’s performance did not evade the eyes of former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar who took to Twitter to congratulate them and also expressed a serious interest in how the game between Afghanistan and Pakistan on Friday will unfold. The two teams will play the first of their three matches in the Super Four stage and will look forward to winning so that pressure doesn’t get them in the latter stages. The match will be played at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

In his tweet, 43-year-old Akhtar said, “Great win by Afghanistan over Bangladesh last night ..Team of Pathans are looking so mature especially in bowling area now & am beginning to wonder how they are going to react against Pakistan on the field .. Should be a good game of cricket ..”

Great win by Afghanistan over Bangladesh last night ..
Team of Pathans are looking so mature specially in bowling area now & am beginning to wonder how they are going to react against Pakistan on the field ..
Should be a good game of cricket ..

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) September 21, 2018

Akhtar was one of those former cricketers who stood by his national side after they were comprehensively beaten by arch-rivals India in a group game.

Afghanistan yet to beat Pakistan ever in an ODI

Pakistan have played Afghanistan only twice in ODIs so far with the former winning both of them. One of those games was in the Asia Cup 2014 which Pakistan won by 72 runs, thanks to an unbeaten hundred by Umar Akmal. This time, however, the Men in Green will have their task cut out in negotiating their bowlers who have given almost nothing away in the two matches so far.

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