ODI World Cup 2023: Pakistan vs Afghanistan Weather Report, Pitch Report and Match Preview

Pakistan will be up against Afghanistan in Match 22 of the 2023 ODI World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday, October 23. Afghanistan have won just one match so far in the tournament, but it was an epic win against defending champions England. However, with a massive 149-run loss to New Zealand, they are currently at the bottom of the points table.

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Things are not looking good for Pakistan now either. They started with two wins but suffered back-to-back defeats against arch-rivals India and five-time champions Australia. However, they will be happy with Shaheen Afridi regaining his form with a fifer in the last match and Mohammad Rizwan's splendid form. Afghanistan's strength, on the other hand, is the spin attack and opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's aggressive start.

An exciting contest can be expected on Monday when two of these Asian sides clash. Pakistan and Afghanistan have met in a total of seven ODIs and on all these occasions the Men in Green have had the last laugh. If Hashmatullah Shahidi and Co. manage to defeat Babar Azam's side, it will be their first-ever win over Pakistan in ODI cricket.  

Pitch Report 

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The pitch at the Chepauk Stadium is known for assisting spinners and will be expected to behave the same when Afghanistan and Pakistan square off on Monday. It is a low-scoring venue, with an average first-innings total of 226 in ODIs. Batting becomes more difficult in the second innings here, so the captain who wins the toss is likely to bat first and put a challenging total on the board. 

Weather Report 

The match will start at 2 pm (IST) and the players will have to endure hot and humid conditions in Chennai. According to Accuweather, the sky is expected to be hazy and the weather forecast will be 34 degrees Celsius during the daytime and 25 degrees Celsius at night. The wind is expected to flow at a speed of 13 km/h. With no chance of rain during the game, fans can expect a complete 50-over match in Chepauk.

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Pakistan vs Afghanistan Probable XIs:

Pakistan Probable XI: Imam ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Afghanistan Probable XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi