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Afghanistan and Pakistan will cross swords with each other in the third and final ODI of the three-match series on Saturday (August 26). The contest will take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The game will be a dead rubber for Afghanistan as they have already lost the first two games and currently lag (2-0) behind in the leg. However, they will be determined to avoid a clean sweep against the Green Team.
Imam ul Haq has been the star performer for Pakistan in the series so far. The batter hammered 61 runs in the first game, followed by a brilliant 91 runs in the second ODI. Meanwhile, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran stood out for Afghanistan in the previous match. Gurbaz smashed a brilliant ton, while Zadran scored an impressive 80 runs.
Pakistan will look to whitewash the Afghan side on Saturday. On the other hand, Afghanistan will be eying their first win over the Green Team in the 50-over format.
AFG vs PAK Head-to-head in ODIs:
Matches played: 6 | Afghanistan won: 0 | Pakistan won: 6 | Tied: 0 | No Result: 0
ODI stats and records at R Premadasa Stadium:
- Total matches: 140
- Sri Lanka won: 76
- Visiting team won: 39
- Neutral side won: 17
- No result: 8
- Matches won batting first: 75
- Matches won chasing: 55
- Highest total: 375/5 (India)
- Lowest total: 86 all-out (Netherlands)
- Highest run chase: 292/4 (Sri Lanka)
- Lowest total defended: 184 (Pakistan)
- Average first innings score: 225
- Highest individual score: 169 (Kumar Sangakkara)
- Best bowling figures: 6/20 (Angelo Mathews)
R Premadasa Stadium Pitch Report:
The pitch at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo has consistently favoured the spinners. The track at this venue becomes sluggish as the game progresses, making it difficult for batters to score runs. On the other hand, fast bowlers also tend to struggle on this ground. Nevertheless, spending some time in the middle can help the batters amass significant runs, and a thrilling contest is expected to take place.
Colombo Weather Report:
The weather at the R Premadasa Stadium will be partly cloudy. However, there is very little chance of precipitation, and cricket enthusiasts can anticipate the play to take place without interruptions. The temperature is expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius with humidity levels to be around 65% and the wind blowing at a speed of 18 Km/hr.
AFG vs PAK 3rd ODI, Probable XIs:
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Shahidullah Kamal
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
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