Pakistan's fate hangs in balance against Afghanistan today

NEW DELHI, Oct 22 (Agencies): A desperate Pakistan will be wary of a competent group of Afghanistan spinners' ability to strike hard on an often-gripping Chepauk pitch during the World Cup match on Monday.

In a crucial World Cup match-up, Pakistan finds itself in a precarious position after suffering two consecutive defeats against India and Australia. A victory is now mandatory for Babar Azam's team to keep their hopes of reaching the tournament's semifinals alive.

Pakistan currently holds the fifth position in the standings with four points from as many matches, but their negative net run rate of -0.456 is a pressing concern that needs immediate improvement.

The primary challenge for Pakistan lies in their batting struggles, particularly against spinners. Even on a batting-friendly pitch in Bengaluru, their batsmen gave away four key wickets to Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa, demonstrating their vulnerability to spin.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, boasts a formidable group of spinners in Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who have the potential to wreak havoc, especially on the spin-friendly Chepauk pitch.

To overcome this obstacle, Pakistan will rely heavily on their captain, Babar Azam, to deliver a steadying performance, as he has been somewhat underwhelming in the tournament so far. Mohammad Rizwan, the current leading run-scorer in the competition with 294 runs, has been the backbone of Pakistan's batting lineup. However, the middle-order batsmen, such as Saud Shakeel and Iftikhar Ahmed, need to step up to provide support.

Pakistan's bowling unit has also struggled to live up to expectations, with the pacers failing to make a significant impact. While Shaheen Shah Afridi showed promise with a five-wicket haul against Australia, the form of other pacers like Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali remains a concern, particularly when bowling during the Power Play.

In terms of spin options, Pakistan's left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz, as well as leg-spinners Shadab Khan and Usama Mir, have not been effective in either taking wickets or controlling the flow of runs. This has been a major factor in Pakistan's inability to dominate their opponents during the middle overs.

Afghanistan, with their own set of challenges, will look to capitalise on Pakistan's vulnerabilities, particularly in their batting lineup. The head-to-head stats between the two teams in ODIs favor Pakistan at 7-0. However, the rivalry between the two sides has gained intensity over the years, adding an extra layer of excitement to the match.

If both teams can rise to the occasion, fans may be treated to another classic encounter in what promises to be a high-stakes and intensely competitive World Cup match.

Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott said on Sunday that his team are looking forward to renewing a "passionate" rivalry with Pakistan which has often reflected the stormy political relationship between the two neighbours.

"I think for them (Afghanistan players) it's a rivalry that excites them," said Trott on Sunday.

"I think it's a rivalry that sometimes in the past has been very passionate.

"We've had very close games as well. Hopefully tomorrow isn't very exciting and we win by a lot. It's just the nature of the rivalry, I should say."

He added: "Both teams, I think, respect each other, but are very desperate to win."

Trott said he wasn't aware that Pakistan had unsuccessfully demanded the International Cricket Council switch Sunday's game to another venue.

Reports claimed that Pakistan were keen to dent the threat posed by Afghanistan's world-class spin attack.

"I didn't know about them wanting to (change the venue), but I think Pakistan have got good spinners themselves and the thing with spinners, there are only two or three of them playing a game," said Trott.