AFG vs PAK 2023: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah pitch history and T20I records

Sharjah Cricket Stadium will host a three-match T20I series between Pakistan and Afghanistan over the next few days. The two nations will meet in a bilateral T20I series for the first time in international cricket history.

So far, Pakistan and Afghanistan have clashed thrice in the T20I format. Their first meeting was a one-off T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in 2013, and after that, the two Asian teams met in ICC T20 World Cup 2021 and Asia Cup 2022.

Afghanistan have never won a T20I match against Pakistan. It will be interesting to see if they can snap their losing streak. Ahead of the three-match T20I series, here's a look at Sharjah's pitch history.

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Sharjah Cricket Stadium T20I records & stats

Sharjah Cricket Stadium has short boundaries. The pitch is generally slow, but because of the short boundaries, the batters have managed to score heaps of runs on this ground. The average first innings score on this ground is 151.

Teams batting first have won 17 out of the 29 matches in Sharjah, but the last two matches at this venue have ended in favor of teams batting second. It will be interesting to see the approach of the two teams in this series.

Here's a list of some vital stats you need to know from previous T20Is hosted by Sharjah:

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

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Sharjah Cricket Stadium pitch report

As mentioned above, the pitch at this venue is a little on the slower side, but the short boundaries assist the batters in scoring big. The last game at this venue was a low-scoring game, but in the game before that, Sri Lanka set a new record for the highest successful run-chase in Sharjah by chasing 176 against Afghanistan.

Afghanistan's players have a lot of experience playing in the UAE. Their experience could prove to be the difference between the two sides in this series.

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Sharjah Cricket Stadium last T20I match

Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by one wicket in the last T20I on this ground. Ibrahim Zadran's 37-ball 35 helped Afghanistan post 129/6 on the board in their 20 overs. In reply, Pakistan slumped to 118/9, but Naseem Shah's two sixes in the final over helped Pakistan win the game by one wicket.

Pakistan's spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz conceded only 50 runs in their eight overs of the match. Afghanistan's Fareed Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers for Afghanistan with figures of 3/31. Here's a summary of the game:

Brief Scores: Pakistan 131/9 (Shadab Khan 36, Fareed Ahmad 3/31) beat Afghanistan 129/6 (Ibrahim Zadran 35, Harif Rauf 2/26) by 1 wicket.