Pakistan vs Afghanistan Highlights, World Cup 2023: AFG stuns PAK by eight wickets for historic win in Chennai

So, if you thought the win against England was a one-off, you were in for a rude shock. Afghanistan has completely outplayed Pakistan today and registered only its third win in the Cricket World Cup. Scotland, England and Pakistan are the teams. This was a clinical chase and also Afghanistan’s highest successful chase ever in ODIs. More interestingly, this is the highest score successfully chased down against Pakistan in the history of the ODI World Cup. Now, both Pakistan and Afghanistan have four points in five matches. Pakistan is placed fifth and Afghanistan is close on its heels in sixth position. Looking at how the tournament has surprised us, it may not be too surprising if Afghanistan actually harbours hopes of making it to the semis now. As for Pakistan, it will be a huge challenge to recover from this harrowing defeat. It doesn’t help that it will face a high-flying South African outfit at the same venue on October 27 in its next game. Meanwhile, the Afghans will fancy their chances in their next two matches - against Sri Lanka and Netherlands on October 30 and November 3, respectively. That will be from us for today. Continue following our coverage of the World Cup and join us tomorrow. Thank you and goodnight!

Ibrahim Zadran, who also became the fastest Afghan batter to reach 1000 ODI runs today, is deservedly the Player-of-the-Match. His 113-ball 87 and 130-run opening partnership with Rahmanullah Gurbaz pretty much shut the door on Pakistan quite early on.

Ibrahim Zadran, who also became the fastest Afghan batter to reach 1000 ODI runs today, is deservedly the Player-of-the-Match. His 113-ball 87 and 130-run opening partnership with Rahmanullah Gurbaz pretty much shut the door on Pakistan quite early on.

Shaheen again. Just four runs needed from two overs. Full on middle stump and defended on the on-side. Rahmat defends this back to the bowler. A single to make it three runs off nine balls now. Shahidi looking for a big hit but the balls short of deep third fielder and just a single. Two to win now. Just a single at mid-on next ball. FOUR! Full toss, put away by Shahidi to the square-leg fence and Afghanistan has registered a famous, famous win here!

Afghanistan needs 11 from 18 balls. Hasan Ali runs in with the ball. This is defended to mid-on by Rahmat. 11 off 17 now. Rahmat steps out a bit and thumps this to mid-on but no runs. SIX! This is thumped down the ground by Rahmat for a maximum. Only five required now from 14 balls. Tucked on leg-side and four needed now from 13 balls.

Just 19 needed now from 24 balls. Afridi with the ball. Shahidi is beaten trying to play this late to deep third. Full toss and just a single for Shahidi at deep square-leg. Rahmat plays this back to the bowler. FOUR! Rahmat gets a fine outside edge and this runs away to the boundary behind. Pushed through covers for two more. Just 12 needed now from 19 balls. Driven to extra-cover by Rahmat and just a single to end the over.

Usama comes back with the ball. AFG needs 30 runs from 30 balls. Full toss and pushed to wide long-on for a single. FOUR! Lucky boundary for Shahidi. He stepped out, realised the ball wasn’t full enough and decided to dab this to third but gloved it past the keeper’s gloves for a boundary behind. Wide ball outside off next. Shahiid cuts this away for a couple more. Shahidi now hangs back to cut again but misses this. Full toss and Shahidi shimmies out and thumps this to deep square for one more. Clipped off the legs for a couple more by Rahmat.

Here comes Shaheen from around the wicket. Defended back to the bowler by Rahmat. Pushed to mid-off next ball and a quick single taken. A couple more as there is an overthrow and Pakistan’s fielding woes continue. That’s 250 up for Pakistan in 44.3 overs. Beaten! Shahidi wants to cut this close to the body but misses. Full and pushed to long-on for a single by Shahidi. Outside edge runs away to deep third and a single for Rahmat to end the over.

Rauf comes back. Back of a length into the body and tucked behind for a single by Rahmat. That’s the 50-run partnership for Rahmat and Shahidi in just 58 balls. A single next ball for Shahidi. Short and pulled away off the glove for a single at fine-leg. This is going down leg and wide called. Rauf thinks the ball hit something but Babar doesn’t want to review this. Replay shows it went off the thigh pad. A couple of singles after that wide and Afghans are just milking the runs now and no visible signs of panic as yet. Bouncer and this is called wide for height. Rauf is not happy with that call. Slapped away to deep point by Shahidi for a couple more.

Shadab continues. Shahidi sweeps the first ball for a couple at deep midwicket. FOUR! Reverse-sweep unlocked and this runs away to the boundary behind point. Excellent running now as Shahidi whips this through midwicket and comes back for a second. Beaten! This is the googly and the ball turns past Shahidi’s outside edge. The next one is full outside off and driven with ease by Shahidi for a single.

Usama Mir into the attack. Full outside off, reverse swept to third man for a single. Full, Shahidi punches it to long on for a single. Full outside off, driven to cover for a couple. Two dots to finish. Four runs off the over.

AFG needs 54 in 48 balls.

Shadab back into the attack. Slightly short outside off, cut through the offside, and Rahmat brings up his fifty. Excellent innings from him to continue on the platform set up by the openers. Four runs from the over.

AFG needs 58 in 54 balls.

Afridi into the attack. Angling in and hits Rahmat on the pads. Big big appeal from Afridi. Pakistan review! Missing leg stump by quite a bit. Length outside off, driven to the sweeper for a single. Full toss on the stumps, driven through cover for a quick double. Shahidi dabs a length ball to the off side and sets off for a quick single. Full and wide, driven through the covers for a double.

AFG needs 62 in 60 balls.

Haris Rauf back into the attack. Short outside off, guided to the left of third man for a couple. Tight over from Rauf, just the four runs from it.

AFG needs 68 in 66 balls.

Hasan into his ninth. Full outside off, cut to the deep fielder for a single. Six!! Full and straight Rahmat times his lofted shot perfectly and it flies beyond the boundary for six.

AFG need 72 from 72.

Shadab back into the attack. Full on the stumps, ball lobs up as Shahidi defends but falls well short of the bowler. Four!! Full on the stumps, Shahidi gets to the pitch and drives it down the ground for a boundary. A quick single to fine leg and Afghanistan brings up its 200. Four!! Full outside off, Rahmat goes down on one knee and sweeps to midwicket for four.

Hasan Ali with his eighth. Short of a length on the stumps, defended right back to mid on. Four dot balls to start the over. Pakistan upping the pressure. Rahmat is hit on the pads. Umpire says no and the review is not taken. Maiden over from Hasan Ali.

Iftikhar continues. Full on the stumps, chipped uppishly to long on for a single. A quick double for Rahmat after turning the ball leg side. Iftikhar finds Shahidi’s outside edge but falls well short of the fielder at backward point.

Hasan again. Full on off stump, driven to Babar at cover, a fumble hands AFG a single. Wicket!! Short of a length outside off, gets the outside edge of Ibrahim and Rizwan completes an easy catch. Shahidi in at 4. Slightly full and wide, Shahidi punches through cover for a single.

Iftikhar to continue. Full on the stumps, Rahmat goes for the paddle over the keeper’s head and gets an easy couple. Slightly shorter, punched to long on for a single. On the stump this time, punched through the covers for a double.

Hasan Ali continues. Short of a length on the stumps, defended straight back. Length on off stump, punched through the covers for a single. Close!! Cuts back in a bit after pitching on a length, goes above the stumps. Just a single off the over.

Iftikhar into the attack, Ibrahim paddles it behind to fine leg for a couple. Four!! Reverse swept through backward point for a boundary. Eight from the over.

Hasan Ali into the attack. On the stumps, punched to extra cover for a single. Tight over from Ali, just four from it.

Mir to continue. Wide outside off, driven to covers for a single. Four!! Wide outside off stump, Rahmat cuts between point and third man for a boundary. Four!! Short again finds the boundary again.

Rauf starts the over with a bouncer and Rahmat ducks under it. Angling in on middle from a good length and Rahmat fends this on off-side. Short and wide and slashed to deep third for a single. Just a single from the first four balls. This is on a hard length, angling on the pads and clipped for a couple through midwicket by Ibrahim.

Usama returns. A tossed up delivery outside off turns away and beats Ibrahim’s attempted cut shot. Short and pulled away by Rahmat for a single through midwicket. Ibrahim, who is struggling with cramps, is beaten on the cut again.

Rauf is back. Full on the pads straight away and clipped for a single by Rahmat through square-leg. Hard length on off and punched for one more on the off-side. Defended to point and the batters have to scamper through for a tight single. Hard length on middle and defended back by Ibrahim to the bowler. This is short and left alone by Ibrahim. Yorker dug out to mid-on for a single off the last ball.

Tossed up by Shadab and driven to long-off for a single. Tossed up on leg, turned to fine leg for a single. Four from the over.

Shaheen continues. Around the wicket to Ibrahim. Full on the stump and pushed to mid-on for a dot ball. Full toss outside off and Ibrahim gets an outside edge through point for a couple more. Hard length into the body and tucked away behind for one more. Shaheen comes back over the wicket. Full on off and driven by Rahmat for two more. This is squeezed to deep point for a single. One more for Ibrahim to end the over.

Shadab to continue. Pushed to long-on with ease by Rahmat for a single. FOUR! Short and wide and thumped through covers by Ibrahim for a boundary.

Shaheen is brought back. OUT! He strikes first ball and Gurbaz has to go. He got a top edge on the pull and it is taken at deep third-man. Rahmat Shah is the next man in. Pakistan will feel they have finally got an opening here. Bouncer and left alone by Rahmat. This is on a length angling across on off and tapped to point. Shaheen now comes around the wicket and angles it down leg-side for a wide. Rahmat is off the mark with a quick single after dropping the ball to point. Two more singles to end the over.

Shadab again. Just a couple of singles from the over but the openers have looked solid.

SIX! Gurbaz steps out and launches Iftikhar down the ground for a massive 90-metre maximum. Imperious shot! Next ball is cut away for a single through cover-point. Punched down the ground by Ibrahim for a single at long-on. Eight runs from the over and Afghanistan is in a good space at the moment.

Full toss on middle and Gurbaz pumps this down the ground for a couple of runs. Tossed up and driven by Gurbaz for a single through extra-cover. FOUR! This is cut away by Ibrahim quite hard and another misfield in the deep - this time by Hassan Ali - gives Afghanistan another boundary.

Iftikhar into the attack. A single for Ibrahim off the first ball. Gurbaz defends this one off the front foot. Slower one on middle and gently nudged behind square for a dot ball. Turning into him and Gurbaz can’t put it away on leg-side. He now goes back and punches this to long-on for a single. Defended by Ibrahim back to the bowler. Good over for Pakistan finally.

Usama with the ball after the drinks break. Pushed to long-on by Ibrahim for a single. This goes off the inside half of Gurbaz’s bat to square-leg for one more. Short of a good length and pushed back to the bowler by Ibrahim. Spinning away outside off and called wide. Tight on the stumps and punched to short cover by Ibrahim. This is punched through covers for a single. This is cut away well to deep point and excellent running as the openers complete a second. Could have been a little tight though as they almost collided mid-pitch while completing the second.

Shadab into the attack. Ibrahim strides forward and pushes to mid-off. Pushed through point now for a single. FOUR! Short, Gurbaz rocks back and pulls this away to the wide long-on boundary. A horrible misfield by Shaheen gives AFG that boundary. Single for Gurbaz next ball and that’s a 38-ball fifty.

Usama continues. FOUR! Ibrahim drives this through point and another poor effort in the deep hands Afghanistan another boundary. The last ball of the over is a no-ball for overstepping and free-hit now for Ibrahim. Full toss, Ibrahim steps out and whacks this to deep midwicket but for just a single.

Rauf again. Full and pushed to mid-on for a quick single by Gurbaz. Short of a length and straight and tucked behind square by Ibrahim for one more. FOUR! Gurbaz elegantly pulls this away to the boundary behind square-leg. He then pushes the next delivery to midwicket for another quick single. Excellent cricket from the two openers. Slower bouncer outside off and Ibrahim has no qualms in letting this go. Another bouncer to end the over, but wait, this has been called a wide.

Usama continues and beats Ibrahim first ball by drifting this into the right-hander and getting the ball to turn away off the surface. FOUR! Tough catch dropped by Iftikhar at slip as Ibrahim gets an outside edge as he looks to slash this length ball away. What’s worse for Pakistan is that it trickles away to the boundary.

Rauf with the ball. This moves away slightly from an off-stump line from a hard length and beats Gurbaz’s poke in the channel. This is punched through cover-point for a single. Short of a length, into the body, and Ibrahim tucks it to fine-leg for a single. FOUR! Short, pulled away by Gurbaz to the fine-leg boundary. This is on a length and Gurbaz tucks it off his hips for a single. Driven to deep point for a single by Ibrahim and he keeps strike.

Usama Mir comes into the attack. Tossed up on off and Gurbaz defends off the front foot and the ball takes the outside edge that dribbles to point, where Babar misfields and allows a single. FOUR! This is cut away by Ibrahim behind point for a boundary. Perfect start for Afghanistan as seven runs come from the over.

Rauf continues. Shorter in length this over. Three dots to start the over. Maiden over from Rauf.

Hasan continues. Four!! Full and wide, Ibrahim punches it through the covers for another four. Hasan Ali goes short, Ibrahim pulls but it falls in front of the deep fielder. Five from the over.

Rauf into the attack. Short on the body, tucked to the leg side for a single. Four! Short and wide, guided past backward point for a boundary. Four!! Similar ball, punched in front of backward point this time for four more. Four!! Slightly wide again, punched through the covers for four again. Four!! Inside edge this time but another boundary. What an over!!

Afridi continues. Gurbaz fishes outside off stump but misses the ball. Shorter on the body, defended back to the bowler. Four!! Width again, guided past third man for a boundary despite a dive by Hasan Ali. Just the four from the over.

Good short ball first up from Hasan Ali. Ibrahim lets it go. Full outside off, guided to third man whose fumble helps them come back for two. Ibrahim is given out caught behind but reviews the decision immediately. Was a short ball on the body and he missed the pull. Flat line on Ultraedge and the umpire will have to change his decision. Four!! Slightly wide, punched through the covers for four.

Afridi with his third. Outside off, guided to third man for a single. Afridi shortens the length and targets the stumps in the next two, defended solidly by the batter. Just two from the over.

Hasan Ali again. On the pads, flicked over midwicket for three runs. On the channel just outside off, gets the batters inside edge but ricochets off his pad to the offside. Four from the over.

Shaheen continues. Full, angling into the pads, defended solidly. Shorter and wide, guided to third man for a single. A bad throw and another overthrow means Afghanistan gets three. Four from the over.

Hasan Ali into the attack. Slightly short on the body, defended to the leg side. Four!! Wide and creamed through the covers for four by Ibrahim. Four!! Wide again, pierces the gap at point to perfection for four more.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran open the batting for Afghanistan. Shaheen with the new ball for Pakistan.

Four!! On the pads first up, Gurbaz guides it past fine leg for a boundary. On the pads again, driven past a diving short mid wicket for a single. Four!! Full and wide, driven through the covers for another boundary.

Naveen to bowl the last over. Wicket!! Full and wide, Iftikhar finds deep cover with his lofted shot. Excellent innings from Iftikhar at the death. Shaheen in at 8. Shaheen misses a short one and looks to steal a single, is sent back by Shadab. Yorker on the stumps, Shaheen gets his bat down and scampers for a single. Wicket!! Wicket off the final ball as Shadab finds long on with his flat batted shot down the ground. Just three runs from the final over.

Azmat continues. Two mishits from the first two balls result only in singles. Six!! Full ball, Iftikhar lofts it down the ground for another six. Sixteen from the over.

Six!! Full and straight from Naveen, Iftikhar pumps it straight down the ground for six. Full and wide catches Iftikhar’s outside edge and runs to the boundary for four more. Runs coming nicely for Pakistan at the death. Thirteen from the over.

Azmat back in the attack. Six!! Slightly short, pulled over the midwicket fence for six by Shadab. Four!! Wide yorker. guided past third man for four. Ten from the first two. Four!! Slightly wide, guided past third man for another boundary. Sixteen from the over.

Naveen continues. Short and Iftikhar pulls, no real timing as it falls short of the deep fielder. Six!! Slower short ball and Iftikhar waits for it before flat batting in down the ground for six. Wide yorker, just a single to point. Thirteen from the over.

Rashid in for his last over. Iftikhar using up a lot of balls this late in the innings. Three dots to start the over. Six!! Finally gets one in the slot and slogs it over midwicket for six!

Naveen back into the attack. Wide down leg and runs away to the boundary for four. Good comeback from Naveen. Two dots to follow. Seven from the over.

Rashid continues. Shadab gets off strike with a single to long on. Iftikhar gets off the mark with a single to short third. Just three runs from the over.

Noor continues. Six!! Slightly over pitched and Babar goes straight down the ground for six! Short again, pulled to deep mid for a single. Wicket!! Short and wide, Babar finds cover to perfection with his shot. Iftikhar in at 7.

Rashid in for his eighth. Short and Shadab pulls to midwicket for a couple. Very few boundaries over the last few overs. Chance!! Babar mistimes his shot down the ground, Noor almost gets there, running in. Just five from the over.

Noor continues. Full and wide, Shadab drives to deep cover for a single. Run out chance as backward point puts in a dive to stop the single. Babar is safely back in though. Close!! Inside edge as Babar looks to go big, very very close to the stumps. Just two singles from the over.

Mujeeb continues. Babar punches to long on for a single. Slightly short, Shadab mistimes the pull but it falls short of the long on fielder. Four!! Babar times the pull better and finds the gap at midwicket for a boundary.

Noor Ahmad returns. Short and wide, hit straight to short cover. Babar gets off strike with a push to the off side. Wide again, Shadab cuts to the off side sweeper for a single. Babar brings out the sweep, falls short of the deep square fielder. Five from the over.

Mujeeb returns for a spell. Short and Babar cuts it to deep point for a single. Outside off, Mujeeb finds Shadab’s edge but it falls short of the backward point fielder. Six runs from the over.

Nabi with his last over. Babar brings up his fifty with a single to long on. Four!! Excellent timing on the last ball despite the leading edge for Babar, races past mid off to the boundary.

Rashid continues. Two singles to start the over. Close! Babar defends off the back foot and the ball almost goes back to hit the stumps. Four singles from the over.

Nabi into his ninth. Babar comes down the track but defends straight to mid wicket. Appeals from LBW as Saud comes down the pitch and defends. Nothing from the umpire. Four!! A reverse sweep from Saud, very fine and beats the third man fielder. Wicket!! Saud steps down the pitch and goes for the big shot, can only find Rashid at mid wicket. Shadab in at 6.

Rashid back into the attack. Four!! Slightly short for Rashid and Shakeel cuts past a diving third man fielder for four.

Nabi continues. Four!! Slightly short and Saud rocks back to pull it through mid wicket for a boundary. 150 up for Pakistan with a single. Six runs from the over despite the boundary.

Noor continues. On off stump, Babar dabs it to point for a quick single. Short and wide, Shakeel cuts to deep point for a single. A wide down leg side from Noor which is then called for a front foot no-ball. Babar mistimes the free hit completely and hands an easy catch to midwicket.

Nabi again. Only two singles from the over. Pakistan digging deep to not lose another wicket.

Noor continues. Full outside off, Shakeel brings out the sweep and gets a single to square leg. Better rotation of strike this over from the Pakistan batters. Wide down leg side from Noor, beats the keeper and the batters will get two more. Nine runs from the over.

Nabi back into the attack. Slightly short, Shakeel defends to the leg side for a quick single. Another tight over from the Afghan spinners, just two off it.

Noor continues his spell. Quicker one coming back in to Babar, Noor goes up in appeal but the umpire says no. Just a couple from the over.

Rashid returns. On the stumps, Babar defends off the back foot to the leg side for a single. Wide to Shakeel, who drives it to long off for a double. Quicker one on the pads, Shakeel just about manages to get his bat down in time. Four runs from the over.

Noor continues. Full and Rizwan sweeps again, just a single this time though. Out!! One too many sweeps and Rizwan has to go. Was wide outside off stump, no where near in control of the shot and an easy catch for Mujeeb at short fine. Saud Shakeel in at 5.

Shakeel is hit on the pads first ball and AFG go for a review! Looks like impact was outside off. Ball tracking shows impact was way outside off. Beats him again next ball. What an over from Noor.

Mujeeb continues. Full outside off to Babar, driven to long off for a single. Six!! In the slot and Rizwan brings out a slog sweep to deposit the ball in the stands. Eight off the over.

Noor with a change of ends. Very wide as Shafique tries to cut but finds the cover fielder with his shot. Appeals for LBW as Shafique misses the sweep. AFG review!! Looks close to the naked eye. Three reds and Shafique has to depart. Rizwan in at 4.

Full and outside off first up, beats Rizwan’s front foot defence. Rizwan looks for a sweep and misses. Beaten outside off again!!

Mujeeb back into the attack. Four!! Outside edge for Shafique but past the lone slip and into the fence for a boundary. Fifty partnership up between Babar and Shafique. Just six from the over despite the boundary.

Rashid continues. Full on the stumps, Shafique sweeps in front of square for a single. Slightly short to Babar, cut to third man for a single. Three runs from the over.

Noor continues. Four!! Short and wide, Babar cuts it through the offside for the first boundary in seven overs. Good comeback by Noor as Babar just about manages to defend the next fuller one on the stumps. Wide again, cut to deep point for a single. 100 up for Pakistan as Shafique turns a full on the leg side for a single.

Rashid to continue. Full outside off stump, beats Shafique’s front foot defence. Fifty for Abdullah Shafique as he turns a fuller ball onto the leg side for a double. Three runs from the over.

And here comes Noor Ahmad, replacing Nabi. A couple of singles off the first three balls as Noor offers some width outside off to begin with. This is darted on the pads and flicked for a single by Babar. Full on the pads again and one more for Shafique with a clip off the pads. Too full on leg again and pushed for one more by Babar.

Rashid again. A couple of singles to start the over. A half-hearted appeal for caught behind as Babar is beaten as he strides forward to defend this one outside off. Shafique is beaten comprehensively by this gentle leg-break that beats the batter’s outside edge by a whisker.

Nabi to continue. He gives Babar a warning for seemingly backing up too far at the non-striker’s end. Pushed to long-on by Shafique for a single. One more for Babar in the same region next ball. Pushed off the backfoot by Shafique for a single down the ground. One more for Babar at long-on again. Just four singles from the over.

Rashid Khan coomes into the attack and huge cheer from the crowd. Shafique takes a single off the first ball. Babar miscues this pull shot and the ball falls just short of the deep midwicket fielder. Shafique pushes the next one for a single through mid-on. Flat, on a length and Babar defends. Babar now presses forward to defend. Another dot to end the over.

Nabi to continue. Shafique looks a bit more proactive this over. He steps out of his crease and pushes to long-on for a single. Still, just three singles off the first four balls. Babar also steps out but only ends up defending this.

Omarzai continues. Babar looks to dab this to third man with an open face but gets a bottom edge and the ball drops close to his off-stump. Pulled away by Babar next ball for a couple. Back of a length and punches by Babar for a couple more. Beaten! Back of a length quite wide outside off and Babar misses the ball as it bounces a little extra on this occasion. FOUR! Short and pulled away by Babar to the midwicket boundary.

Nabi will continue. Just a single from the over and Shafique, in particular, is looking to defend everything the spinners are throwing at him.

OUT! Short ball from Omarzai and Imam pulls it straight to the midwicket fielder. FOUR! Babar Azam is off the mark with a first-ball four. Length ball outside off and Babar gets on top of the bounce and punches this through covers for a boundary. A needless throw at the non-striker’s end off the next ball and Babar slips in a single. A couple of singles more for Shafique and Babar in the deep third-man area.

A change of ends for Nabi. Tossed up straight and Shafique presses forward to defend it back to Nabi. Length ball and Shafique goes back and punches this through mid-on for a single. Nabi angles this in on a fullish length and Imam defends off the front foot. He clips the next one for a single through square-leg. Defended back to Nabi by Shafique. Well-fielded by Nabi off his own bowling to end the over and the first PowerPlay.

Azmatullah Omarzai replaces Nabi in the attack. Shafique clips a full one off the pads for a single. One more for Imam at deep third as he dabs the ball late. Full and straight and Shafique flicks this with supple wrists for a single through square-leg. Bouncer to end the over and Imam ducks under it.

Mujeeb will continue. SIX! Just as Shafique looked set for more defensive play, he steps out and lofts this over mid-off for a maximum. FOUR! Tossed up outside off this time and this is driven by Shafique for a boundary through covers.

First bowling change as Mohammad Nabi takes the ball. Tossed on middle and Imam defends this back to the bowler. Down leg and a single for Imam at square-leg. Fpur dot balls to end the over as Shafique looks averse to taking any risks.

Mujeeb continues. Slight short on the pads, Shafique dabs it to the leg side for a single. Four! Short and wide, Imam rocks back and cuts it past the point fielder for a boundary. Full and straight, turned to deep square leg for a single. Four!! Second boundary of the over as Shafique turns the short ball behind square for a boundary. Twelve from the over.

Four!! Full and straight from Naveen, Shafique waits for it to come to him and drives it on the onside past mid-on for a boundary. Six!! Naveen retorts with a short ball. Shafique quickly adjusts and pulls it over square leg for a huge six. Short again, Shafique defends on the on side and scampers for a quick single. Eleven from the over.

Mujeeb will continue. Just a couple of singles from the over as Mujeeb keeps varying his pace with guile. Yet another cautious start from Pakistan’s openers.

Naveen will continue. Angling in on off to Shafique and defended straight. This is full and angling down leg-side and wide called. Defended on the off-side by Shafique. Leading edge here and this just falls short of the mid-off fielder. Very lucky for Shafique to get away with that. The ball seemed to hold into the pitch a bit and Shafique closed the face of the bat too early. FOUR! Wide outside off and full and Shafique reaches out and drives this over point for a boundary. Full and straight now and defended back to Naveen. Defended to point now and that’s the over.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman with the new ball from the other end. Length ball on off and Shafique flicks it with the turn for a single through midwicket. Tossed up and Imam pushes this down the ground for one more. Flat and straight and defended back to the bowler by Shafique. Fullish on middle and leg and turned away on the on-side by Shafique. This is going down leg and Shafique cannot connect the flick well enough. A tight single to end the over. Had Mujeeb gathered the ball, there could have been a run out opportunity.

Abdullah Shafique and Imam-ul-Haq are out to open the innings for Pakistan. A huge cheer from the crowd as Naveen-ul-Haq takes the new ball. Full outside off and very close to being a wide but just inside the tramline. Full angling in on off-stump and pushed by Shafique to mid-on. Full, swinging away a bit and Shafique gets a thick outside edge on the drive and it flies wide of the backward point fielder for a single. Imam cuts this full one on off-stump to point. Tight stuff from Naveen so far. Has bowled full but not given too much width. Imam now gets an inside edge onto his pad driving this through mid-on. FOUR! Full and on the pads and flicked by Imam to the midwicket boundary to end the over.

The players are out for the national anthems. It’s Afghanistan’s first up, followed by Pakistan’s.

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

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

Pakistan wins the toss and chooses to bat first.

Shadab returns to the playing XI for Pakistan. He replaces Nawaz who is down with fever.

Noor Ahmad in for Fazalhaq Farooqi for Afghanistan.

The PAK vs AFG match will be played on the same pitch used during the IND vs AUS game.

“Not a blade of grass. Expect the spinners to do well,” says Aaron Finch.

“In Chennai there are generally slow pitches. This is the slowest of them all,” says Mpumelelo Mbangwa.

Matches played: 7

Pakistan won: 7

Afghanistan won: 0

Last result: Pakistan won by 59 runs (Colombo, 2023)

What time will PAK vs AFG ODI World Cup 2023 match begin?

The Pakistan vs Afghanistan ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match will begin at 2:00 PM IST.

Where can one watch PAK vs AFG ODI World Cup 2023 match?

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match between Pakistan and Afghanistan will be telecast LIVE on the Star Sports Network from 2:00 PM IST onwards.

Where to watch live streaming of PAK vs AFG ODI World Cup 2023 match?

The ICC World Cup 2023 match between Pakistan and Afghanistan will be streamed LIVE on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.

While the on-field rivalry between Pakistan and Afghanistan is still in its infancy, crowd disturbances, edge-of-the-seat finishes, and scuffles between players have already lent it the kind of rhetoric that perhaps better describes events in a bullring than in a cricket stadium.

The ICC ODI World Cup 2023 match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday is a good chance to see if the on-field action has retained a similar needle.

Afghanistan’s spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi can pose a challenge to Pakistan’s unstable middle order if they find their rhythm.

The way Afghanistan deploys Rashid will also influence the result.

Against India, Rashid came in to bowl when the score was 125-0 in 14 overs, which seemed an odd choice. However, against England, he entered the game when the Three Lions were 82 for 3 off 16 overs, precisely where he excels.

- Ayan Acharya

Read full preview in the link below

PAK vs AFG: Pakistan and Afghanistan rekindle rivalry in bid for supremacy at ICC World Cup 2023

Pakistan vs Afghanistan: The World Cup 2023 match will be intriguing to see which team secures a victory – the team with superior skills or the one with better control of emotions.

Welcome to Sportstar’s live scores and updates from the ICC World Cup 2023 match between Pakistan and Afghanistan in Chennai. Stay tuned for all updates regarding the match and live commentary.