Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: What India can gain from this match?

Pakistan will be playing Afghanistan in the fourth match of the Super 4 Asia Cup tonight. Read this thorough report on how this contest can affect India's prospects at the Asia cup.

Asia Cup 2022 is in its last phase, and only two teams can qualify for the finals. Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India are still in the competition. Sri Lanka is looking stronger after winning 2 of their three matches, whereas Pakistan is in the second spot after their last encounter against India.

Also read | Asia Cup 2022, Super 4: Sri Lanka remains unbeatable in Super 4

Tonight's match between Afghanistan and Pakistan will not only be crucial for Afghanistan-Pakistan, but also for India. After topping their group stages, Afghanistan and India have become a victim of a similar fate and lost their initial matches.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: Pakistan Playing XI

Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: Afghanistan Playing XI

 Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Samiullah Shinwari, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: Head to Head (Overall)

This is not the first encounter between Afghanistan and Pakistan. Both have played four One Day International matches (ODI), and two T20 International games (T20I). Pakistan has remained unbeatable in all the matches.

Format	Matches	Pak Won	Afghanistan won	Draw
ODI	4	4	0	0
T20	2	2	0	0
Test	0	0	0	0
Total	6	6	0	0

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: Last five matches of Pakistan

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result
16/12/2021	West Indies	National Stadium (Karachi)	Pakistan won by 7 wickets
5/4/2022	Australia	Gaddafi Stadium	Australia won by 3 wickets
28/08/2022	India	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	India won by 5 wickets
2/9/2022	Hong Kong	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Pakistan won by 155 runs
4/9/2022	India	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Pakistan won by 5 wickets

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: Last five matches of Afghanistan

Date	Opponent	Venue	Result
15/08/2022	Ireland	Civil Service Cricket Club	Afghanistan won by 27 runs
17/08/2022	Ireland	Civil Service Cricket Club	Ireland won by 7 wickets
27/08/2022	Sri Lanka	Dubai International Cricket Stadium	Afghanistan won by 8 wickets
30/08/2022	Bangladesh	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Afghanistan won by 7 wickets
3/9/2022	Sri Lanka	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sri Lanka won by 4 wickets

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: How can India qualify for the finals?

Although it seems nearly impossible, India will have to rely on Afghanistan's victory against Pakistan with a good margin. After Pakistan's defeat, India will have to defeat Afghanistan in their next game and wait for Sri Lanka to beat Pakistan with a good margin.

Also read | ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2022: Schedule, groups, teams, time and venue

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: What if Pakistan wins?

Pakistan's victory would put an end to all the speculations. If Pakistan wins today, they will be qualified for the finals along with Sri Lanka. On the other hand, India and Afghanistan will be knocked out of the tournament.

Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Super 4: What if Afghanistan wins?

Afghanistan's victory against Pakistan will ensure that no team gets knocked out today. If Pakistan breaks their winning streak, Afghanistan, India and Pakistan will have to win their next matches with good margins to qualify for the finals. Besides, Sri Lanka will automatically qualify for the finals.

(Written by Zuhair Zaidi)