Sharjah, UAE – The national Afghan cricket team beat Pakistan by 18 runs in the first T20 of their tri-nation series warm-up in a dominant display that has left a big mark as far as the upcoming Asia Cup is concerned.
The game was played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, and Afghanistan won the toss and decided to bat first. That move was a fruitful one as star batsmen Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal hit back-to-back half-centuries.
Their 113-run streak helped Afghanistan attain a competitive score of 169-5 that left their opponents with a daunting target.
Dominant Batting Performance Sets the Stage
Zadran and Atal, who had each scored half-centuries the day before against the United Arab Emirates, maintained their good performance. Following the premature sacking of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the duo assumed power and proceeded to pace their partnership masterfully.
Zadran registered a fluent 65 runs, and Atal chipped in with a titanic 64 runs, which left the Pakistani bowlers and fielders in frustration. Their collaboration was a masterpiece at creating an innings and establishing a strong base for the middle order.
The Pakistani bowlers were able to achieve some late success despite the domination of the Afghan batsmen. One such performer was the fast bowler Haris Rauf, who took a four-wicket haul to ensure that Afghanistan could not gain any ground during the last overs.
Rauf had demonstrated his capacity to perform under pressure when he took the wickets of Zadran and Atal, but with seven wickets already down, the game was lost.
Spin Attack Strangles Pakistan’s Chase
The united action of the Afghan spinners destroyed the innings of Pakistan with a carefully planned system in the chase. The spin trio of captain Rashid Khan, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, and left-armer Noor Ahmad, who played his first game of the tournament, performed very well. They got six key wickets between them, squeezing the wicket of Pakistan skilfully.
The early breakthroughs were also caused by the pace attack. The innings began with fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi hitting his very first ball to dismiss the man, Saim Ayub, on a duck.
A few minutes afterwards, he bowled Sahibzada Farhan, who had made a promising opening with two or three sixes, with a bow which cut off and struck the off stump.
When the spinners were introduced, the batting order of Pakistan broke down. Fakhar Zaman failed to convert a fine opening, got thrown out by Nabi, and captain Salman Ali Agha was effortlessly run out by Rashid Khan at the non-striker end.
The gradual decline in wickets went on, and the Pakistani batsmen were finding it difficult to cope with the turn and the flight of the Afghan spinners. The sequence of poor form persisted when Mohammad Haris holed out to deep square leg and left Pakistan reeling at 82-6 in the 12th over.
The wickets of Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Afridi were then taken by Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmad finished off a great day by clean-bowling Faheem Ashraf.
The deficit was too great to overcome despite a late blitz by Haris Rauf, who top-scored with an unbeaten 34 off 16 balls. Pakistan ended their innings at 151-9, losing by 18 runs.
This win is the fourth consecutive tri-series game where a team has been able to protect a total, and this is becoming a major feature of the tournament. The result of this victory gives both Afghanistan and Pakistan four points in three matches.
This is a massive psychological boost to Afghanistan as both groups head to the Asia Cup, which will be held in the UAE on September 9, with India as the reigning champions.
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