Sharjah Cricket Stadium Pitch Report For AFG Vs SA 2nd ODI

Sharjah Cricket Stadium [X]Sharjah Cricket Stadium [X]

After securing an emphatic victory in the first match, Afghanistan will take on South Africa in the penultimate clash of the ongoing three-match series. The much-awaited game will take place at Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates. 

Led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan registered a clinical win in the series opener, thrashing South Africa by six wickets. South Africa skipper Aiden Markram's decision to bat first backfired on the visitors, as Fazalhaq Farooqi ran through their top-order with a sensational new ball spell. 

The Proteas couldn't recover from the early jitters, with young spinner Allah Ghazanfar aggravating their misery with a magnificent three-wicket haul. So, despite Wiaan Mulder's fighting knock, South Africa could score only 106 runs, which the hosts chased successfully in 26 overs. 

So, considering it's a do-or-die clash for South Africa, the Proteas are expected to put up an evolved performance and give the Afghans a run for their money. As both teams gear up for a high-voltage encounter, let's see how the surface at Sharjah Cricket Stadium will behave throughout the game. 

Sharjah Cricket Stadium Pitch Report

The surface at Sharjah Cricket Stadium will offer negligible seam movement to the fast bowlers. However, the breeze might help the new ball bowlers generate a hint of swing early on. Although the track has an even pace, its low bounce might cause discomfort for the South African batters, as they are habituated to batting on bouncy tracks. 

Furthermore, the spinners will get significant turn off the deck and look to capitalise on it in the middle overs. As the ball won't bounce much, the spinners will likely bring the ball back into the batters and target the stumps to bring bowled and LBW dismissals into the equation. 

The batters must spend some quality time in the middle so that they get used to the pace and bounce of the pitch and get some runs under their belt. Given the track's nature to get slower with time, expect the toss-winner to bat first.