"Afghanistan might have thought that they couldn't read Kuldeep, so why not play a bowler like him" - Aakash Chopra lauds Noor Ahmad's spell vs PAK

Aakash Chopra reckons the Pakistan batters' inability to read Kuldeep Yadav might have tempted Afghanistan to play Noor Ahmad in their World Cup 2023 clash in Chennai on Monday, October 23.

Noor registered figures of 3/49 in 10 overs as Afghanistan restricted the Men in Green to 282/7 after they opted to bat first. Hashmatullah Shahidi and company then chased down the target with eight wickets and an over to spare to complete their first ODI win against their neighbors.

Reflecting on Pakistan's innings in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra pointed out that Afghanistan's decision to play a left-arm wrist-spinner in Noor Ahmad yielded them rich dividends. He elaborated (2:55):

"Noor Ahmad picked up three wickets. It was his first game (of the World Cup) and he bowled amazingly well. I feel Afghanistan might have thought that they couldn't read Kuldeep, so why not play a bowler like him, a left-arm leg-break bowler, and they got success."

The former India opener praised Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan for taking Pakistan to a seemingly winnable total. He said:

"Rashid Khan's account was empty. Mohammad Nabi got a wicket. To be fair, the way Iftikhar Ahmed batted, and Shadab Khan was there alongside him, Pakistan actually bounced back strongly. There were enough runs on the board because Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai were hit for a lot of runs in the last few overs."

Iftikhar smashed a 27-ball 40, a knock studded with two fours and four sixes. Shadab scored 40 runs off 38 deliveries with the help of a four and a six.

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"Abdullah Shafique is a real talent" - Aakash Chopra

Abdullah Shafique scored 58 runs off 75 deliveries. [P/C: AP]

Aakash Chopra reckons Abdullah Shafique is a great prospect for Pakistan in the batting department. He explained (2:25):

"I think Abdullah Shafique is a real talent. He is an extremely organized player. He plays with great discipline. He is one for the future. In fact, you can make him the present as well because of the situation you are in currently."

Chopra pointed out that while Babar Azam failed to convert his 74-run knock into a century, Mohammad Rizwan was dismissed cheaply. The cricketer-turned-commentator observed:

"Babar (Azam) also scored runs. I felt he would score a century but he got out before that. (Mohammad) Rizwan got out while trying to play a sweep shot."

Shafique, Babar and Rizwan were all dismissed by Noor Ahmad. While Naveen-ul-Haq picked up two wickets for Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi and Azmatullah Omarzai accounted for a dismissal apiece.