ISLAMABAD: Cricket experts and analysts backed Pakistan’s batters to overcome Afghanistan’s “world class” spinners when the two teams collide today, Monday, on a spin-friendly pitch at Chennai for a World Cup contest.
Pakistan are set to take on Afghanistan on the same pitch where India thrashed Australia at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Oct. 8. Indian spinners were instrumental in dismissing Australia for a paltry 199 runs in 49.3 overs, with Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Ravichandran Ashwin sharing six Australian scalps between themselves.
Chennai’s pitch offers bounce and turn for spinners. Pakistan will be wary of Afghanistan’s spin challenge as the Hashmatullah Afridi-led side has three quality spinners to choose from: the dangerous Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rehman and Mohammad Nabi.
However, cricket analysts said Pakistani batters could withstand the Afghan spin bowling challenge on the tricky surface.
“I think Pakistan will do quite okay against Afghanistan in Chennai,” Indian cricket author and broadcaster Chandresh Narayanan told Arab News. “The pitch holds no demons, Pakistan batters will be hungry especially Babar Azam.”
Narayanan said “too much is made” of Afghanistan’s spin attack. “The pitch is not a square turner as many expect,” he said. “I think Pakistan will do quite okay.”
“Chennai is likely to be a turning wicket that favors Afghanistan’s world class spinners but I think Pakistan’s batsmen will do just fine,” sports journalist Hadeel Obaid told Arab News. “In the longer format, I believe Pakistan have an edge over Afghanistan, I don’t see them breaking the ODI jinx against Pakistan.”
She added that Pakistani opening batter Abdullah Shafique is the most skilled at tackling spinners in the side.
Senior sports journalist and anchor Mirza Iqbal Baig said Pakistani batters would encounter difficulties in tackling Afghan spinners Rehman and Rashid Khan.
“Pakistan’s batting looks comparatively stronger than Pakistan’s bowling, particularly spin bowling,” Iqbal told Arab News.
“In my opinion, the Afghan team is an impressive side in T20 format but in One Day Internationals, their batting would collapse.”
Narayanan pointed out that despite “coming close” a few times, Afghanistan have never beaten Pakistan in an ODI contest.
“Winning is a habit and so is losing,” he said. “They need to score enough and then they need to put Pakistan under pressure in the middle with their spinners.”
Iqbal said for Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s bowling would be crucial as he had returned to form and taken a fifer against Australia on Friday. He said pacer Haris Rauf had also bowled impressively in his second spell against the five-time World Cup winners.
“Pakistan will definitely craft a strategy and if their [Afghanistan’s] main batters, including Rahmanullah Gurbaz, are dismissed, then the gate [for a win] could be opened,” he said.