Pakistan vs Afghanistan: Under-Pressure Pakistan Faces Tough Spin Challenge
Babar Azam's Team Needs to Win to Boost Their Semifinal Chances
An under-stimulus In Monday's important match at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Pakistan will have to be careful of a potent bunch of Afghanistan spinners and their ability to hit hard on a wicket that is known for its grip.
After losing to Australia and India back-to-back, Babar Azam's team has to win since another loss would significantly hurt their chances of making it to the World Cup semifinals.
Pakistan has four points from as many games and is now in fifth place, but their net run rate of -0.456 is concerning and has to be improved.
After losing its first match of the World Cup to Afghanistan, Pakistan will play against Afghanistan as a "new" team, according to Imam-Ul-Haq.
"Out of the four games we've played, two have been wins and two losses. However, we are assured. Imam said on Sunday, "We acknowledge that we did not perform well in the past two games.
"We have to provide our best effort. How you perform on any particular day is really important. Talk for as long as you like. However, the key is your performance that day.
"We have discussed it. And on Monday, you'll meet a new crew.
The ground here is spin-friendly, which might help Pakistan's spinners, who have struggled to score runs in the tournament so far, get back among the wickets.
Given that Afghanistan has players like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman, Imam said, "I don't believe there's scope of any extra practice now," when asked whether the preparations will mostly be spin-focused.
"The preparations are already complete. The locations for our (ODI) match against Afghanistan at Hambantota, which we won 3-0, were likewise conducive to spin.
This terrain is also conducive to spinning. We are aware of it, yet each person has unique preparations, and we really believe in their skills.
However, Pakistan will need a major effort, particularly from captain Babar, who hasn't lived up to his hype yet in this World Cup. Babar has to finally score a huge one and find his rhythm.
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