Afghanistan and Pakistan will play the first T20 cricket series.
Afghanistan and Pakistan face each other in the first bilateral series in years, set to resume their cricketing rivalry.
The match will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), starting at 7 pm (16:00 GMT) on Friday. This will be the first of three T20 International (T20I) matches between the two teams in the series, with the other two scheduled on March 26 and 27.
Leg-spinning all-rounder Shadab Khan will lead Pakistan for the first time after the decision to rest regular captain Babar Azam.
Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman are other notable absentees, as Pakistan look to introduce new talent who have emerged from the recently concluded Pakistan Super League (PSL), the country’s domestic T20 tournament. I was impressed.
“The players in our squad have earned their call-ups due to their consistent performances in domestic cricket and impressive performances in the PSL,” Khan said ahead of the series.
Express fast bowler Ehsanullah, who took 22 wickets in the PSL and won the player of the tournament award, is expected to be given the cap by Pakistan.
Saim Ayub, who made a bold shot during the PSL, is also part of the new-look squad.
The Afghanistan team will be led by leg-spinner Rashid Khan while former captain Muhammad Nabi has also returned to the team.
The Afghan squad is in good form, having swept the hosts UAE during the three-match T20I series last month. Veteran batsmen Ibrahim Zadran and Karim Jannat both scored half-centuries during the series.
He will be joined by Rehmanullah Garbaz, Mujeebur Rehman and Fazlul Haq Farooqui who also participated in the PSL.
Pakistan, currently ranked third in the International Cricket Council (ICC) T20I rankings, will be playing their first international T20 match since last year’s T20 World Cup, in which they were runners-up.
Afghanistan, ranked 10th, were scheduled to play Australia first. However, in January, the former T20I world champions pulled out of the series citing restrictions against women imposed by the Taliban, who took over Afghanistan in August 2021.
Afghanistan Cricket Team
While the current series between Afghanistan and Pakistan may not be important for ranking points or qualifying for any upcoming major cricket event, it does signal a possible deterioration in relations between the neighbours.
After a major bomb blast in Kabul in May 2017, the then Afghan government announced the cancellation of the proposed bilateral series against Pakistan.
The Afghan Intelligence Agency then blamed the Haqqani network for the attack, alleging that the armed group was receiving support from Pakistan.
“In light of the findings of the security services and calls from the Afghan nation, the ACB hereby cancels the contract for all cricket matches with the Pakistan Cricket Board,” the Afghan Cricket Board (ACB) said.
The two teams have faced each other in multilateral tournaments like the World Cup or the Asia Cup and have now decided to compete in a bilateral series.
“We appreciate the willingness of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to play Afghanistan in March,” ACB chairman Mirwais Ashraf said in a statement earlier this month. “This is a significant achievement for two neighboring countries. We are optimistic and look forward to continuing our wonderful partnership with the PCB as well as frequent cricket assignments, which our team and Will help us to strengthen our cricket as a whole,” added Ashraf, a former Afghanistan player.
The PCB also welcomed the development, and its chairman Najam Sethi said in a statement that the two countries had “pleasant relations”.
Afghanistan players are very popular in Pakistan Super League. I am sure that when the cricketers from both the sides don the national jersey for the upcoming international series, they will perform at their peak and entertain the enthusiastic and cricket loving crowd.”
The teams have met seven times in total, playing three T20Is and four ODIs in their rivalry, with Pakistan always coming out on top.
However, recent matches have seen tension between the two sets of supporters as well as heated debates between the players on the field.
The last clash ended during an Asia Cup game in September 2022 when Pakistan secured a sensational victory with just one wicket to spare.
After tempers flared in the stands, the PCB announced that it would file a complaint against the ICC for “crowd disturbance”. Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Asif Ali and Afghanistan’s Fareed Ahmed have been fined by the ICC for ground disputes.
Similar scenes were witnessed during the match between the two in the 2021 T20 World Cup in which Pakistan scored another dramatic victory after scoring 24 runs in an over.
To prevent any crowd trouble in Friday’s match, the organizers said they will provide e.
Extra security and separate supporters in different stands.
