Pakistan win toss, opt to bat against Afghanistan in first ODI

Web Desk :

Pakistan have won the toss and decided to bat in the first ODI of the three-match series against Afghanistan in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Tuesday.

It is a home series for Afghanistan who cannot stage international cricket in their own country because of security fears.

Earlier today, Afghanistan team suffered a major setback ahead of series against Pakistan.

Middle-order batter Najibullah Zadran was ruled out of the series due to a knee injury and will be replaced by Shahidullah.

Zadran is a key player in the Afghanistan team, having played 88 ODI matches over the course of his career. He has an average of 30.04 and strike-rate of 89.42 in 50-over cricket with the help of a hundred and 15 fifties.

Meanwhile, Shahidullah has only played a solitary ODI which came against the Netherlands in January 2022 in Doha.

The series will give both teams a chance to prepare for the Asia Cup, which begins on August 30.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have locked horns in four ODIs in the past with the former winning all of them. The two sides last faced each other in the format in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019.

Lineups

Pakistan XI: Imam, Fakhar, Babar (c), Rizwan, Iftikhar, Salman, Shadab, Usama, Shaheen, Naseem, Haris

Afghanistan XI: Gurbaz, Ibrahim, Rahmat, Shahidi (c), Nabi, Rashid, Mujeeb, Farooqi, Omarzai, Abdul, Ikram Ali.

Series Schedule

22 Aug – First ODI, Hambantota

24 Aug – Second ODI, Hambantota

26 Aug – Third ODI, Colombo