United Arab Emirates vs Afghanistan Prediction: UAE leveled up the series 1-1

The United Arab Emirates and Afghanistan are going head to head in the 3rd Match of the T20 Series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates on 02 Jan 2024. UAE surprised everyone with a win in the last game levelling up the series at 1-1. Who will win this game of cricket?

UAE produced an impressive performance in the previous match, defeating the opposition by 11 runs. This victory puts the UAE in a position to achieve a historic series win against Afghanistan. The opening partnership of Muhammad Waseem and Ajay Lakra was exceptional, contributing 72 runs for the first wicket and both players reaching individual half-centuries. However, there are concerns about the performance of the middle-order batsmen, namely Basil Hameed, Aayan Afzal Khan, and Tanish Suri, who have struggled to score runs in this series. To address this issue, Vriitya Aravind, who scored a half-century in the first T20, remains a crucial batsman in the middle order. On the bowling front, Muhammad Jawadullah delivered an outstanding spell, taking 4 wickets for only 26 runs to limit Afghanistan's batting performance. He received support from Junaid Siddiqui, Ali Naseer, and Akif Raja in the seam department. Basil Hameed and Aayan Khan are expected to contribute in the spin department.

Muhammad Waseem (c), Aryan Lakra, Vriitya Aravind, Basil Hameed, Tanish Suri (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan, Akif Raja, Muhammad Jawadullah, Junaid Siddique.

Afghanistan will be extremely disappointed with their loss on Sunday as they relinquished an early advantage and now face the possibility of their first-ever series defeat against the UAE. Despite starting off well with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai scoring 47 runs in just over 5 overs, the departure of Gurbaz had a negative impact on the team's performance. The subsequent batsmen, including Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, and Darwish Rasooli, failed to capitalize on the initial momentum, resulting in Afghanistan falling short of the target. Mohammad Nabi showcased remarkable performance by scoring 47 runs off just 27 deliveries and will also be leading the spin attack alongside Noor Ahmad and Qais Ahmad. The seam attack will remain unchanged, with Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen Ul-Haq, and Azmatullah Omarzai aiming to make early breakthroughs with the new ball.

Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Qais Ahmad, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

The team that wins the coin toss will most likely choose to bat first. The pitch at Sharjah is generally favorable for batting, with a good amount of pace and bounce during the first inning. The ball comes nicely onto the bat, making it easier for the batting team. A score of approximately 165 runs is considered average. However, since this is the third match being played at this venue in the past five days, there are plenty of rough areas on the pitch that the bowlers can take advantage of. The weather is expected to stay clear, with temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius.

Both teams are eager to win the series, and they will be highly motivated to come out on top. Although the UAE won the last match, it will be challenging for them to repeat that success on Tuesday. Afghanistan, on the other hand, is a stronger team and is more likely to emerge victorious. We suggest betting on Afghanistan to win.