Captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad, making his tournament debut, shared six crucial wickets between them.
Afghanistan Spinners Shine as Zadran and Atal Fire in T20 Tri-Series Win
Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal smashed successive half-centuries before Afghanistan’s spinners strangled Pakistan’s deep batting lineup to secure an 18-run victory in the T20 tri-series on Tuesday.
The spin trio of captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad—playing his first game of the tournament—claimed six wickets between them, restricting Pakistan to 151-9.
Zadran (65) and Atal (64) followed their half-centuries against the United Arab Emirates a day earlier with a remarkable 113-run partnership, helping Afghanistan post 169-5 after Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to field.
It was the fourth consecutive match in the tri-series in which teams successfully defended totals. UAE lost both of its games while chasing against Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Farooqi Sparks Afghanistan, Ashraf Seals Pakistan Win in Thrilling T20 Clash
Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi set the tone for Afghanistan with two early wickets inside the powerplay. The left-armer struck off his first ball when Saim Ayub edged a mis-timed pull shot to the wicketkeeper and was dismissed without scoring. Sahibzada Farhan (18) hit two sixes but was clean bowled by Farooqi, while Fakhar Zaman’s 25 off 18 balls ended when he sliced a catch to short third. Captain Salman Ali Agha was brilliantly run out by Khan at the non-striker’s end.
Rashid Khan: Pakistan’s middle order struggled as Hasan Nawaz was caught at short fine leg off Ahmad’s first ball, Mohammad Haris holed out to deep square leg, and Mohammad Nawaz fell to Khan. Shaheen Afridi’s stumps were rattled, and Noor capped a perfect day by clean bowling Ashraf, leaving Pakistan reeling at 82-6 in the 12th over.
Earlier, Afghanistan’s Zadran and Atal shared a century partnership before Ashraf’s brilliant 4-27 in the final three overs prevented a free scoring spree. Ayub had bowled three economical overs in the powerplay, including the wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (8), but Afghanistan couldn’t accelerate in the final five overs despite their strong start.
After this contest, both Pakistan and Afghanistan have four points each from three games, while UAE, set to face Pakistan on Thursday, remains on zero points.
