Pakistan - Afghanistan Predictions & Betting tips - ICC Men's Cricket World Cup

Prediction published on 21/10/2023, 14:30  by Devesh Jaganath

Match 22 of 48 in the 2023 Cricket World Cup will see Pakistan take on neighbours Afghanistan on Monday morning. The Men in Green have slipped to fifth place in the current standings, while the Afghans are at the foot of the table. Pakistan made a promising start to the competition by beating the Netherlands and Bangladesh in their first two matches. That saw them firmly set in the top four, but they have since dropped below the qualification cutoff after losing their last two games. Against India, they were completely outplayed and were bowled out for just 191, while the Aussies claimed a 62-run victory in their last match. With that result, Australia leapfrogged Pakistan with a better run rate. The one highlight of the Pakistanis’ tournament so far has been the performance of Mohammad Rizwan, who is the highest-run scorer in the competition so far with 294. The Men in Green have never lost to this opponent in seven previous ODI meetings and will need to maintain that record, or they may find themselves cut adrift from the leading pack. 

In contrast, Afghanistan made a woeful start to their 2023 CWC campaign. They were comprehensively beaten by Bangladesh in their opening match before India clinched an eight-wicket victory over them. The Afghans then recorded one of the biggest upsets of the tournament in their third game when they overcame the defending champions England by 69 runs. However, their excitement was short-lived, as they suffered a big loss to the formidable-looking Kiwis just three days later. Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been the pick of the batsmen for his side and is currently inside the top 15 run-scorers in the tournament with 159 to his name. He will need another good innings here to give his side a chance of overcoming Pakistan. While they may sit at the bottom of the table, Afghanistan are certainly capable of a big performance on their day, but can they find one in this match?