ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 – Afghanistan vs Pakistan Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Afghanistan vs Pakistan taking place? Saturday 29th June – 10:30 (UK)
Where is Afghanistan vs Pakistan taking place? Headingley, Leeds
What is the expected weather for Afghanistan vs Pakistan? 27-28c with sunshine and cloudy intervals
What television channel is Afghanistan vs Pakistan on in the UK? Sky Sports Cricket
Where can I stream Afghanistan vs Pakistan? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live on Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Afghanistan vs Pakistan? Tickets for this match can still be purchased via Stubhub!
HEAD-TO-HEAD
Last meeting: Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 3 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
AFGHANISTAN
Coach: Phil Simmons
Captain: Gulbadin Naib
- Despite having lost all seven of their matches so far at the World Cup, Afghanistan have shown they can compete in their last couple of matches having provided stern tests to both India and Bangladesh.
- Concerns about issues off the field continue to surround the camp as following Mohammad Shazhad being sent home earlier in the tournament due to injury which he refuted, they have now sent Aftab Alam home due to a disciplinary breach and Sayed Ahmad Shirzad has replaced him in the squad.
- They have made changes for virtually every match so far which makes their line-up somewhat unpredictable but they may be tempted to name an unchanged side here and hope their trio of spinners can once again keep them competitive.
PAKISTAN
Coach: Mickey Arthur
Captain: Sarfaraz Ahmed
- After losing to arch rivals India, Pakistan have bounced back in style by beating both South Africa and New Zealand in the last week to keep their outside hopes of a semi-final place alive and they will aim to pick up another here and put England under even more pressure for fourth place.
- They have used the same set of players for the last two matches and they will surely name an unchanged line-up once again given how well they are playing with the form of Haris Sohail especially good after he came into the side.
- Talented pace bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi looks to have finally found something close to his best form as he was superb against New Zealand on Wednesday which makes their bowling attack along with Mohammad Amir particularly dangerous right now.
THE PREDICTION
These two teams meet with contrasting form behind them as Pakistan are making a late run for a semi-final place while Afghanistan have lost all seven of their matches so far. With England playing on Sunday, Pakistan have a chance to leapfrog them and mount the pressure on them in the race for fourth place with a win here. Afghanistan have shown signs of improving and have competed in their last two games but have still fallen short with their batting remaining below par. Difficult to see anything other than another Pakistani win here.
