Cricket World Cup 2023: Shadab in for Unwell Nawaz as Pakistan Opt to Bat First Against Afghanistan

Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the coin toss and opted to bat first against Afghanistan in an ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 contest at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

Both the teams have made one change each.

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Mohammad Nawaz is down with fever and has been replaced by Shadab Khan in Pakistan eleven.

Keeping the conditions in mind, Afghanistan have shored up their spin department, bringing in left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad in place of Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Pakistan are entering this contest having suffered back-to-back defeats in their previous two matches. They started their campaign with two wins in a row though and will be aiming to get back on track against a plucky Afghanistan.

Twice in a row their batting has suffered a collapse after being in a solid spot and the former champions will be looking to address it today.

“The pitch looks very dry and might spin. We have to give our 100 per cent in every match and step up, that’s what I want from my players. The pitch might help the pacers under lights,” Babar said at the toss.

The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led Afghanistan crashed to a massive 149-run defeat to New Zealand in Chennai after producing one of the biggest upsets in world cup history when they got the better of defending champions England in Delhi. They will be aiming to bounce back from the defeat and create another upset.

“We wanted to bat first, but the toss is not in your hand. We played a series against them in Sri Lanka and we wanted more spinning options. We want to restrict them to 250 or less,” Shahidi said.

Pakistan will be wary of Afghanistan’s quality bowlers, especially their spinners led by Rashid Khan.

Pakistan XI: Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf

Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad