Pakistan Wins Toss and Chooses to Bat in ODI Against Afghanistan

• Match held in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, due to security concerns in Afghanistan.
• Najibullah Zadran ruled out of series for Afghanistan due to knee injury.
• Shahidullah replaces Zadran; has limited ODI experience.

In the opening One Day International (ODI) of the three-match series against Afghanistan, Pakistan emerged victorious in the toss and chose to bat. The match, held in Hambantota, Sri Lanka on Tuesday, unfolded as Afghanistan’s home series due to the nation’s inability to host international cricket on their own soil due to security concerns.

Earlier in the day, the Afghanistan team faced a significant setback prior to their series against Pakistan. Middle-order batter Najibullah Zadran’s exclusion from the series was necessitated by a knee injury. The void left by Zadran was filled by Shahidullah.

Najibullah Zadran occupies a pivotal role in the Afghanistan team, having participated in 88 ODI matches throughout his career. His impressive batting statistics include an average of 30.04 and a strike-rate of 89.42 in the 50-over format, underscored by one century and 15 half-centuries.

Contrastingly, Shahidullah has a sole ODI appearance, which took place against the Netherlands in January 2022 in Doha.

This series holds additional significance as it serves as a valuable opportunity for both teams to prepare for the imminent Asia Cup, scheduled to commence on August 30.

Historically, Pakistan and Afghanistan have engaged in four ODIs, with Pakistan emerging victorious in all encounters. Their most recent clash in this format transpired during the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2019.

The first ODI, marked by Pakistan’s decision to bat, initiated a series that takes on greater importance as both teams gear up for the impending Asia Cup. Meanwhile, Afghanistan’s circumstances of hosting matches on foreign soil continue to reflect the security challenges they face domestically.

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.

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