Pakistan will lock horns with Afghanistan in the third match of the ODI series. Afghanistan were so close in the previous match to get their first-ever ODI win against Pakistan, but it wasn't to be.

Pakistan and Afghanistan will clash in the 3rd and final ODI of the series on Saturday. The match will be played on August 26 at Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota.

Afghanistan could not have come close to winning a game but not win it. The team suffered a 1-wicket defeat to Pakistan after Naseem Shah scored 11 runs in the final over of the 2nd ODI. Afghanistan dominated Pakistan for most of the game but the Men in Green held their nerves to win by 1 wicket.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 151 to help Afghanistan post 300 but Imam ul Haq's 90, Babar Azam's 53 Shadab Khan's cameo took Pakistan home. The win in the second ODI has also given Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.

Match Preview

Afghanistan (AFG) will be up against Pakistan (PAK) in the 3rd ODI match of the Afghanistan Tour of Sri Lanka at the R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo on August 26. Pakistan leads the three-match series by a margin of two to nil and have already won the series. Afghanistan, however, would be looking forward to winning this match and saving their face.

Both these teams locked horns against each other at the Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in their last game, where the toss was won by Afghanistan, who elected to bat. After the horror of the previous match, Afghanistan made a bold move by choosing to bat. A phenomenal opening stood further made their decision brilliant. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran smashed bowlers around the park, scoring 227 runs for the first wicket. However, the batters that followed could not contribute much, but the team managed to put up a massive total of 300 runs on the board.

In reply, Pakistan started well, having an opening stand of 52 runs. They were scoring at the required run rate and looked good. After a promising opening stand, a brilliant second-wicket partnership was followed by it. Imam and Babar joined together 118 runs and kept the chase in check. However, once the partnership broke, Pakistan looked to be in trouble as their middle order failed. Shadab Khan, down the order, kept his nerves and smashed 48 runs, which proved to be crucial as Pakistan won by just one wicket with just one ball to spare.

Pitch Report

R Premdasa Stadium offers a pitch that is going to be helpful to batters as well as bowlers. Spinners, in particular, may enjoy some turn and bounce, which can create problems for the batters while they can play their shots freely after spending a few balls on the ground. Teams winning the toss choose to bowl, with the average first innings score being 200.

Toss Prediction

The team winning the toss will likely opt to bat first on this ground.

Weather Report

The weather forecast for the Saturday's match is going to be sunny intervals with humidity around 71%.

Match Prediction

Pakistan will start as favorites. They won the first game by 142 runs and beat Afghanistan in the second ODI by 1 wicket. In both games, Pakistan were in trouble but found a way to come back from behind to win the match. We suggest backing Pakistan to win.

Pakistan to beat Afghanistan in 3rd ODI

Venue Details

Mahinda Rajapaksa International Cricket Stadium in Hambantota is going to host the third and final ODI of the series between Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Head to Head

Both the teams have played 6 matches against each other so far, with Pakistan winning each of them.

Betting Tips

Afghanistan came achingly close to registering its first-ever ODI win over Pakistan but faltered at the very last moment. Though that will give them the confidence to play even better in this match, Pakistan has a stronger team and will likely come on top. It won both the matches without being anywhere close to its best and this third match may be when all facets of its game come together.

Bet on Pakistan to win.

Probable Playing XI

Afghanistan

Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman

Pakistan

Babar Azam (captain), Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmad, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr., Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf.

Top Fantasy Picks Dream11 Prediction

Afghanistan Key Players

Rahmanullah Gurbaz was in brutal form in the previous game and scored a stunning 151 to help Afghanistan post 300-5. He will be looking to replicate his performance.

Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled another good spell in the second ODI and bagged a wicket for 45 runs. Mujeeb's 10 overs will be crucial for Afghans if they are to avoid the clean sweep.

Rashid Khan will once again hold the key for the Afghans. He may not get many wickets but run scoring is very tough against him and it adds to the pressure.

Mohammad Nabi has picked up four wickets bowling in both matches, at an economy of four. He also scored 36 runs and can lead your team well.

Pakistan Key Players

Babar Azam scored 53 runs in the 2nd ODI. Babar is someone who converts fifty into century so he will be a bit disappointed but he can make up for that in the 3rd ODI.

Imam Ul Haq has been brilliant in two games. He scored 61 in the first game and played a 91-run inning in the second game. He will be looking to score a hundred in the final game.

Naseem Shah has bowled well in the series and has scalped two wickets in two matches. He also scored some crucial runs in the last game to finish it well.

Haris Rauf has been exceptionally well in the series and has scalped five wickets at an economy of 4.95. His raw pace makes him a pick you cannot ignore.

Shadab Khan played a fantastic knock in the last game, which proved to be the match-winning difference between the two teams. He was awarded Player of the Match for the same.