Pakistan vs Afghanistan Prediction: Green Shirts to boost semi-final hopes

Pakistan will be looking to move into the top four of the 2023 World Cup standings with victory over struggling Afghanistan on Monday.

The Green Shirts won their opening two matches of the tournament, beating the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, but they have faltered of late, suffering defeats to both India and Australia.

Despite recording a stunning victory over reigning champions England, Afghanistan prop up the table with three defeats added to that solitary success.

Another loss for either of these two sides would severely impact their chances of reaching the semi-finals and we should be in for an enthralling watch at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

Team news

Pakistan are expected to make a couple of changes for this contest, with Shadab Khan and Mohammad Wasim in line to replace Usama Mir and Mohammad Nawaz.

Pakistan (from): Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saud Shakeel, Salman Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Usama Mir.

After the thumping defeat to New Zealand last time out, Afghanistan may decide to freshen things up in both the batting and bowling departments.

Afghanistan (from): Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.

Mohammad Rizwan – Pakistan Top Run Scorer @ 10/3

Pakistan look like the solid play in the match result market, but at 1/3 they offer little value and that is why our first selection is for Mohammad Rizwan to be the Green Shirts’ top run scorer.

The 31-year-old has been in sparkling form for his country, scoring a leading 294 runs from four innings at an average of 98.00.

Rizwan was the joint-top scorer in the victory over the Netherlands, while he then topped the charts by himself with a superb unbeaten 131 against Sri Lanka.

Knocks of 49 and 46 have followed and it would be no surprise to see another solid score posted on Monday.

Most Match Sixes – Afghanistan @ 6/4

While Pakistan should pick up the win, that is not to say there will not be fireworks from Afghanistan and it may prove prudent to back them to hit the most match sixes.

For the Green Shirts only Abdullah Shafique has cleared the rope across the four matches, with the 23-year-old amassing five maximums.

As for Afghanistan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Azmat Omarzai have been showcasing their power, the pair hitting seven and five sixes respectively.

Jonathan Trott’s side seem to have that extra power to clear the rope and they can come out on top in the match sixes market.

Match Odds

Pakistan are the firm 1/3 favourites to record their third win of the World Cup, with Afghanistan priced at 12/5 to cause an upset.

The Green Shirts’ captain, Babar Azam, leads the way in the top run scorer market for his country at 13/5, ahead of Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq, who are both 16/5.

Rashid Khan has impressed with the ball for Afghanistan, taking six wickets to date, and he is 12/5 to be his side’s top wicket-taker.