The first T20I of the three-match series between Afghanistan and Pakistan will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. Both sides would want to start the series on a winning note. The matches in Sharjah have always been exciting and once again the smaller boundaries will attract the batters.
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Spinner Rashid Khan will be leading Afghanistan in this series, whereas all-rounder Mohammad Nabi is making his comeback. The conditions in Sharjah will be loved by the Afghan spinners, and they can be a really tough team to beat in this series.
Pakistan have rested a few of their main players for this series. The batting duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan has been Pakistan’s backbone, but both of them are not available for this series. All-rounder Shadab Khan is the captain of the side and some star performers of Pakistan Super League 2023 have also been included.
Pitch report of Sharjah Cricket Stadium AFG vs PAK T20
Sharjah Cricket Stadium is one of the smallest cricket stadiums in the world. During the IPL 2020, we saw some high-scoring counters on this track. Looking at the boundary dimensions, one will expect runs on this track, but the same is not the case. The pitch in Sharjah has been challenging for the batters.
Recently, a few matches of the International League T20 were played here. In the last five matches of the tournament in Sharjah, the average first innings score was 165 runs. In T20Is, the average first innings score has been just 151 runs. Sharjah’s pitch has been on the slower side and timing the ball is a big challenge here.
So, despite shorter boundaries, the batters have failed to score big here. The spinners and the medium-pacers (who can use the slower deliveries) will be lethal on this track. If dew does not come in, batting first after winning the toss won’t be a bad decision here.
