For the next four days, Pakistan and Afghanistan will play a three-match T20I series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, know its pitch report today and T20 records
For the first time in the annals of international cricket, the two nations will compete in a bilateral T20I series.
In the T20I format, Pakistan and Afghanistan have already faced off three times. The two Asian sides first faced off in a one-off T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in 2013, and then again in the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021 and the Asia Cup in 2022.
Afghanistan has never defeated Pakistan in a T20I match. To see if they can end their losing streak will be interesting. Check out Sharjah’s pitch history before the three-match T20I series.
Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch report today, weather, T20 records, average score for AFG vs PAK series 2023
T20I records and statistics at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
The boundaries at Sharjah Cricket Stadium are modest. Although the pitch is often sluggish, the short boundaries have allowed the batters to score a tonne of runs on this pitch. On this field, the first innings’ average score is 151. At Sharjah, teams batting first have prevailed in 17 of the 29 games, but the past two games have gone in favour of teams batting second. It will be intriguing to observe how the two sides approach this series.
Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium, United Arab Emirates weather forecasted for the next 10 days will have maximum temperature of 30°c with no chances of rain today.
This is a list of some key statistics from previous T20Is Sharjah has hosted:
- T20I matches played: 29
- Matches won by teams batting first: 17
- Matches won by teams batting second: 12
- Matches Tied: 0
- Matches Abandoned: 0
- Highest individual score: 118* – Mohammad Shahzad (AFG) vs. Zimbabwe, 2016
- Best bowling figures: 5/13 – Samiullah Shinwari (AFG) vs. Kenya, 2013
- Highest team score: 215/6 – Afghanistan vs. Zimbabwe, 2016
- Lowest team score: 38 – Hong Kong vs. Pakistan, 2022
- Highest successful run-chase: 179/6 – Sri Lanka vs. Afghanistan, 2022
- Average first-innings score: 151
Report on the pitch at Sharjah Cricket Ground
The small boundaries help the batters score big despite the venue’s slightly slower pitch, as was already mentioned. The most recent game played at this location had a low scoring total, but the game before that saw Sri Lanka chase down 176 against Afghanistan, breaking the previous record for the most successful run-chase in Sharjah.
The players from Afghanistan have a wealth of UAE playing experience. Their expertise can end up being the deciding factor in this series between the two sides.