HPCA Stadium, Dharamsala Pitch Report & Weather Forecast for BAN vs AFG, 3rd ICC ODI World Cup 2023 Match

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HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala is all set to host it's first-ever ODI World Cup match when Asian rivals Bangladesh and Afghanistan lock horns in the third match of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Saturday (October 7).

Sahkib Al Hasan-led Bangladesh head into the match on the back of one win and one defeat in the warm up matches, while the Afghanistan led by Hasmatullah Shahidi are fresh from a win in their only warm up match after the first first match was washed out.

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in their first practice match, chasing down a target of 263 with 7 wickets in hand and 8 overs to spare. But they suffered a 5-wicket loss to England in the truncated second practice match, failing to defend 196 in 36 overs. Both their matches were played at Guwahati.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, saw their first warm up match against South Africa being washed out after persistent rain in Thiruvananthapuram. However, they got one truncated game under their belt in which they defeated Sri Lanka by 6 wickets.

Both sides have seen their warm up games affected by rain. So, how will the weather and pitch conditions be for their first-ever clash at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharmasala?

Will rain once again have an impact? Will the pitch have any assistance for the two stacked spin attacks? With the action taking place in Dharamsala and some parts of India witnessing showers, here is a look at the weather forecast and the pitch report for BAN vs AFG 3rd ICC World Cup 2023 match:

Dharamsala Weather Forecast on October 7

Unlike the venues selected for the warm up matches, there is no threat of rain in Dharamsala on Saturday (October 7) or in the lead up to match. There is forecast for a sunny day with a maximum temperature of 30° C in the day, but it's expected to reduce to 22° C heading into the evening.

While the dew factor is a concern, Bangladesh or Afghanistan will not need to worry about it as they meet in a day match, which starts at 10:30 AM local time and should end by 6 PM Local Time. But, how is the wicket going to play?

HPCA Stadium pitch report for BAN vs AFG World Cup match

There are nine pitches at the venue, but only three will be used for the World Cup, as per reports. The pitches at the HPCA Stadium have received great rating, especially the bowlers. Black soil pitches are likely to be used during this World Cup at the HPCA Stadium.

The black soil wickets produce true bounce, making it a venue, where the quick bowlers will have some joy at least in the early stages of an innings. The last ODI match is a testament of the medium pacers enjoying bowling on the tracks at HPCA.

While the most recent ODI was a wash out in 2020, the last ODI at the venue saw Sri Lanka bowl out India for a paltry 112 with the pace bowlers getting majority of the wickets. However, in the most recent T20I or IPL matches we have seen a few high-scoring games.

But in the 4 ODIs played at this venue, the team chasing has had more success compared to the teams batting first, with the average first innings score being just 172.

As it's a day match, dew is unlikely to be a factor and, although history suggests teams have struggled to post total above 250 here, both teams will hope their bowling attack clicks and keeps that pattern intact.