Match Details
Match: Afghanistan vs Pakistan (T20I)
Date & Time: 7 Sep 2025, 08:30 PM IST
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Tournament: UAE T20I Tri-Series
Playing XI: Not announced yet
Quick Match Preview
Recent form:
AFG: W W W L W (strong momentum; particularly good when batting first)
PAK: W L W W W (in form; batting firepower peaking)
H2H (recent): AFG: W L L → slight tilt to PAK overall, but AFG have improved in last few meetings.
Toss & Venue: Sharjah has been high-scoring lately (avg 1st inns 181) with a bat-first win rate ~70%. Both pace and spin are in play (almost equal FPs), so balanced attacks matter.
Narrative: If AFG bat first, their structured top-order (Ibrahim, Gurbaz, Atal) plus Rashid’s middle-over choke can boss the game. If PAK chase, their hitting core (Saim, Fakhar, Salman) and death bowling (Rauf/Shaheen) tilt it back.
Win Probability (modelled from form + venue + toss trends)
Scenario | Afghanistan | Pakistan |
|---|---|---|
AFG bat first | 55% | 45% |
PAK bat first | 48% | 52% |
If match goes to a chase | 49% | 51% |
Overall (pre-toss) | 50–52% | 48–50% |
Edge swings to the side that bats first at Sharjah.
Pitch & Venue Analysis – Sharjah
Average 1st inns score: 181 | Avg wkts/inns: ~7
Fantasy split (venue): 1st inns FP: BAT 301 / BOWL 230 | 2nd inns FP: BAT 273 / BOWL 266
Pace vs Spin (FP/over): Pace ~14.4, Spin ~12.9 (near-par; both relevant)
Toss trend: Captains are split on decision (~50/50), but results favour batting first (~70%).
Profiles that work: Middle-order hitters who face 25–35 balls + wicket-takers with PP swing or middle-over spin.
Venue Fantasy Nuggets
Frequent C/VC here recently: Ibrahim Zadran, Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf, Abrar/Abrar-type mystery spin (A. Ahmed), Faheem Ashraf.
Top venue Averages (recent 4): M. Nawaz (~99), I. Zadran (~92), Rashid (~89), Saim (~75), Sediq Atal (~68), Faheem (~66), Fakhar (~65).
Form Radar – Last 5 Fantasy Points (highlights)
Pakistan
Saim Ayub (AR): 453 → 51, 181, 34, 153, 34 → 3/5 big hauls
Mohammad Nawaz (AR): 433 → 105, 22, 139, 130, 37 → 3 tons; massive ceiling
S Mirza (BOW): 366 → 10, 47, 133, 96, 80 → purple patch for a spinner
A Ahmed (BOW): 346 → 161, 21, 7, 141, 16 → boom-or-bust
Faheem Ashraf (AR): 293 → 166 last AFG game; role at death handy
Fakhar Zaman (BAT): 292 → 151, 61, low, low → venue friendly
Shaheen Afridi (BOW): 285 → 55, 16, 107, 61, 46 → 4/5 ≥46 (good floor)
Haris Rauf (BOW): recent cluster of 65–158 in this tri-series segment (x-factor death)
Afghanistan
Ibrahim Zadran (BAT): 377 → 96, 123, 123, 29, 6 → 3/5 90+ (Sharjah star)
Mujeeb ur Rahman (BOW): 254 → 48, 23, 63, 58, 62 → extremely steady PP/MO
Azmatullah Omarzai (AR): 229 → 28, 6, 50, 30, 115 → role-dependent
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK): 220 → 94, 26, 13, 66, 21 → if set, goes big
Karim Janat (AR): 214 → 64, 24, 53, 2, 71 → finisher + medium pace
Noor Ahmad (BOW): 171 → 87 vs PAK; MO wicket-taker
Fareed Ahmad Malik (BOW): 165 → 79 vs PAK earlier; LHB pace, can bowl death
Powerplay & Death Overs – Impact Lens
AFG Powerplay: Fazalhaq Farooqi (swing), Mujeeb (new-ball off-spin) → early wickets key vs Saim/Fakhar.
AFG Middle/Death: Rashid to control overs 7–15; Fareed/Janat for 17–20.
PAK Powerplay: Shaheen to left-arm angle into Gurbaz/Ibrahim; A Ahmed/S Mirza if spin PP used.
PAK Death: Haris Rauf primary; Faheem support.
Matchups to watch:
Rashid vs PAK middle (Salman/Farhan/Fakhar if held back)
Shaheen vs Gurbaz/Ibrahim in PP
Mujeeb vs Saim (powerplay match-up)
Key MVP Picks
Mohammad Nawaz (PAK, AR): Recent average ~88; bowls 3–4 + floats up the order; elite venue record.
Rashid Khan (AFG, AR): Safe floor with wickets; batting bump possible.
Ibrahim Zadran (AFG, BAT): Consistent Sharjah scorer; anchors innings.
Haris Rauf (PAK, BOW): Death-over wicket clusters; ceiling 120–160 FP.
Differential Picks
S Mirza (PAK, BOW): Hot streak; can outscore big names if surface grips.
Faheem Ashraf (PAK, AR): Form spike (166 FP vs AFG); points in 3 facets.
Mujeeb (AFG, BOW): Lower ownership compared to Rashid but very steady.
Sediq Atal (AFG, BAT): Quietly logging 50–110 type returns at Sharjah.
Team Construction – Venue Logic
Combination: 7 bat/AR : 4 pure bowl (but pick bowlers who bat or all-rounders for Sharjah)
Balance: 1 WK, 4 BAT, 3 AR, 3 BOW (flex to 2 AR + 4 BOW if you feel it’s tacky)
Suggested Dream11 Lineup (Pre-toss)
WK (1): R Gurbaz (AFG)
BAT (4): I Zadran (AFG), S Ayub (PAK), F Zaman (PAK), S Atal (AFG)
AR (3): M Nawaz (PAK) – C, Rashid Khan (AFG) – VC, F Ashraf (PAK)
BOW (3): H Rauf (PAK), S Afridi (PAK), F Farooqi (AFG)
Bench/Alternates (conditions):
If more spin: swap S Afridi → A Ahmed / S Mirza; consider Mujeeb / Noor Ahmad for Farooqi.
If PAK bat first: upgrade Fakhar (for Atal) for top-order hitting.
If AFG bat first: consider Karim Janat (for Faheem) as late-overs finisher + 2 overs.
Ultra-diff: A Omarzai (AR) if he bowls 3+ and bats top-6.
Team cap: 6 PAK + 5 AFG (within max-7 rule).
Dream Team XIs from the last two AFG vs PAK games:
02 Sep 2025 – Sharjah
Faheem Ashraf – 166
Ibrahim Zadran – 123
Sediq Atal – 116
Rashid Khan – 96
Fazalhaq Farooqi – 90
Mohammad Nabi – 89
Noor Ahmad – 87
Haris Rauf – 65
Fakhar Zaman – 61
Saim Ayub – 51
Saud Farhan – 40
29 Aug 2025 – Sharjah
Haris Rauf – 158
Mohammad Nawaz – 130
Rashid Khan – 130
Shaheen Afridi – 107
Agha Salman – 98
Saim Muqeem – 85
Fareed Ahmad Malik – 79
Rahmanullah Gurbaz – 66
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman – 63
Sediq Atal – 55
Darwish Rasooli – 53
Conditional Strategy & Final Tips
If you expect a bat-first deck (most likely edge):
Prioritize top-order of the batting-first side + 2 strike bowlers from the chasing side.
C/VC: Nawaz / Rashid / Ibrahim.
If dew appears (aid to chasing):
Add one extra death pacer (Rauf/Shaheen/Fareed) and shave a spinner.
VC to Rauf becomes attractive.
Risk Management:
Pair one boom-or-bust (A. Ahmed or Faheem) with one steady (Mujeeb).
Don’t stack more than two such volatile picks.
Bottom line: Sharjah rewards form all-rounders and true wicket-takers. Lock M. Nawaz as a safe C in most builds; hedge with Rashid/Ibrahim in multi-entry.