Pakistan vs Afghanistan Highlights, Asia Cup 2022: Naseem's back-to-back sixes helps PAK beat AFG, into final vs SL

A good length delivery by Naseem and Zazai carves it between backward point and short third for a four!

A full delivery by Hasnain, on off. Gurbaz manages to glance it over the leaping fielder at deep square leg. Just goes over him and Gurbaz sighs in relief!

After 2 overs, Afghanistan: 20/0

A short delivery by Hasnain, on the stumps. Gurbaz swivel-pulls it to deep backward square leg boundary for a smashing six!

A full delivery by Naseem, outside off. Gurbaz drives it wide of mid-off. Babar chases it and pulls it back to save a run. Three runs!

A good length delivery by Naseem and Zazai gets beaten on the outside edge! Pakistan think to review but don't at the end! RIGHT FROM THE START!

Zazai and Gurbaz to open for Afghanistan. Naseem to bowl for Pakistan.

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

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi

After toss, Nabi said, "No we would have bowled first. There will be dew later on, humidity is too much and the ball does not grip towards the end, it is all part of the game. But we will try and put a big score on the board. It is always a tough game against Pakistan."

After the toss, Babar said, "We are going to bowl first. The pitch looks like nice and the second thing is dew factor, that's why we are bowling first. Hopefully we pick early wickets and restrict them. The mood is cool and calm, and we will try to continue that momentum. A win always gives you confidence. We have the same team."

Babar Azam has won the toss! Pakistan to bowl vs Afghanistan!

Toss is coming and is set for 7:00 PM IST.

A win for Pakistan will mean a berth in the final for Babar Azam's side. Sri Lanka have already the final, having beaten India in their previous Super 4 fixture. With two defeats in the Super 4 stage, India will be banking on Afghanistan to win. A win for Afghanistan will make the race for the other spot in the final extra intense and will put Nabi's side, Pakistan and India in contention.

Afghanistan bowling coach Umar Gul, who is also a former Pakistan cricketer, said in the pre-match press conference, "Babar and Rizwan are world-class players. Definitely, we have planned against them as professionals as we do for the other teams. So obviously, we are hoping that our players can execute those plannings against them."

Having won all their group stage fixtures, Afghanistan were given a reality check by Sri Lanka in their Super 4 opener. A knock of 84 runs off 45 balls by Gurbaz helped Afghanistan post 175 for six in 20 overs, with Madushanka taking two wickets for Sri Lanka. Chasing a target of 176 runs, Sri Lanka reached 179 for six in 19.1 overs, despite two-wicket hauls by Mujeeb and Naveen.

Pakistan defeated India by five wickets on Sunday in their Super 4 opener. Chasing a target of 182 runs, Pakistan reached 182 for five in 19.5 overs with Rizwan smacking 71 runs off 51 balls. A two-wicket haul by Shadab initially helped Pakistan restrict India to 181 for seven in 20 overs.

According to cricketpakistan.com.pk, Rizwan's progress has been monitored and he will feature against Afghanistan, as revealed by a PCB source.

Rizwan sustained a strain in his right leg during the win vs India and went a precautionary MRI scan. It is not yet known if he will miss the match, considering his importance to Babar's tactical plans.

Rizwan has become the number-one ranked T20I batter for the first time in his career, removing Babar from top spot. Rizwan has been in fine form in the ongoing Asia Cup and hammered 71 runs in the Super 4 win vs India.

In T20Is, both sides have met only twice, with Pakistan winning both games in 2013 and 2021.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, Haider Ali, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Usman Ghani, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad

Hello and good evening everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today's crunch Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan, straight from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Toss is expected to be at 7:00 PM IST, with play to begin at 7:30 PM IST.

Stay tuned for some exciting cricket folks!