T20 World Cup 2021: Predicted XI of Afghanistan against Pakistan

Afghanistan started their campaign at the T20 World Cup 2021 with an absolute bang. They defeated Scotland by a margin of 130 runs after scoring 190 for 4. The word clinical defines the performance quite rightly. Having said that, the tournament will now get slightly tougher for them as they move deeper into it. 

Their next challenge will be against Pakistan, who are quite upbeat after winning both their matches against India and New Zealand. With a big win under their belt, Afghanistan would now love to present a good challenge to Pakistan.

Here is the predicted XI of Afghanistan for the match against Pakistan: 

Openers (Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai)

The opening combination which Afghanistan has put together might just be one of the best in this tournament. The two fiery batters have the capability to not just get a good start for their team but also build on it to get a big score. In the previous match, Shahzad was dismissed after scoring a brisk 15-ball 22 while Zazai went on to score 44 runs from 30 balls. The duo has previously shown how they can be attacking as well as have a good temperament to put on a huge score for their team. 

Middle-order (Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran)

Rahmanullah Gurbaz is close to being the guy to follow up the two extremely dangerous openers. He has the ability to score runs at the right time and also settle the nerves in case there is a bit of a collapse. In the previous game, he started slow but it was required to weather the bit of storm which his side potentially faced with two wickets. He scored 46 runs off 37 balls. 

Najibullah Zadran is probably one of the most underrated talents with the bat in world cricket. He showed everyone what he is capable of with the bat during the team’s last game. His knock of 59 runs from 34 balls, an innings which was the cherry on top after the good platform set by the top three. Asghar Afghan didn’t bat in the last game, but he is someone who really attacks the spinners. 

All-rounders (Mohammad Nabi (C), Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan)

Skipper Mohammad Nabi brings all his experience to the forefront in a big tournament such as this. The right-arm off-spinner bowled only one over in the previous match but might bowl more in this game. With the bat, he scored 11 runs from four balls, which was just the type of knock which is expected of him. 

Gulbadin didn’t play a part against Scotland, but he will be on his toes against Pakistan. Then comes Rashid Khan and no matter what you say about him, it is probably less. He was absolutely fantastic against Scotland as he ended with a four-wicket haul, but he had only come to bowl when the opposition was already five wickets down. That is his class and fans would want more from him against Pakistan. 

Bowlers (Karim Janat, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman)

Karim Janat has been a regular feature in this team for some years now. He bowled only one over for six runs in the previous match. But once again, he would be one of the players who might play a more important role in the next game. Apart from that, Naveen-ul-Haq will also share some of the pace bowling duties after ending with 1 for 12 in two overs in the last game. 

Lastly, Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Sometimes a player is so good that all you can do is just applaud. That is exactly how good Mujeeb was against Scotland, ripping apart their batting and creating pressure constantly. His spell of 5 for 20 will be remembered for some time and Afghanistan would only hope for another top-class performance from him.