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Afghanistan and Pakistan are set to engage in a rigorous three-match One Day International (ODI) series, serving as a preparatory phase for the forthcoming Asia Cup 2023 and the highly-anticipated World Cup 2023. These cricketing spectacles will unfold across two esteemed venues in Sri Lanka, namely the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota and the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, spanning from August 22 to August 26.
The opening salvos of this epic encounter will grace the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota, where the first two contests will be fiercely contested. The culmination of this riveting series will take place at the iconic R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
For Afghanistan, this series serves as a momentous return to the ODI stage, following their triumphant 2-1 away series conquest against Bangladesh a mere month ago. Pakistan, on the other hand, strides into this contest, emboldened by their victorious 2-1 home series campaign against New Zealand in May.
This is not the first time these two cricketing titans have squared off this year. They engaged in a captivating three-game Twenty20 International (T20I) series in Sharjah in March 2023, where Afghanistan clinched a spectacular 2-1 series victory over Pakistan. It’s noteworthy that Pakistan was without the services of key players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi during that series.
In their limited history of ODI encounters, Pakistan has emerged victorious in all four previous meetings. For this series, the reins of Pakistan’s captaincy are once again entrusted to the capable hands of Babar with Shadab Khan serving as his deputy. Afghanistan, as the hosts of this series, will continue to rally under the steadfast leadership of Hashmatullah Shahidi.
Following the conclusion of this compelling encounter, both teams will journey to Pakistan, where the much-anticipated Asia Cup 2023 will commence, with the opener scheduled between Pakistan and Nepal on August 30 in Multan.
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AFG vs PAK 2023, Full Schedule:
- August 22: 1st ODI, AFG vs PAK, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, 3:00 pm local/ 3:00 pm IST/ 9:30 am GMT
- August 24: 2nd ODI, AFG vs PAK, Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium, Hambantota, 3:00 pm local/ 3:00 pm IST/ 9:30 am GMT
- August 26: 3rd ODI, AFG vs PAK, R Premadasa Stadium , Columbo, 3:00 pm local/ 3:00 pm IST/ 9:30 am GMT
AFG vs PAK 2023, ODI squads:
Afghanistan: Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Shahidullah Kamal, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Mohammad Saleem Safi, Wafadar Momand
Reserves: Farid Ahmad Malik and Shahidullah Kamal
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi
AFG vs PAK Broadcast and live streaming details
- India: Eurosport; Fancode
- Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal, Bangladesh: Eurosport
- Australia: Fox Sports
- USA: Willow TV
- Afghanistan: RTA Sport
- Pakistan: Tapmad TV; A Sports, PTV Sports
- Canada: Willow TV
