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Cricket

Afghanistan defeat Pakistan by seven wickets to win T20I series

Imad Wasim’s undefeated half-century was in futile as Afghanistan thrashed Pakistan by seven wickets in the second T20I to grab a 2-0 insurmountable lead in the three-match T20I series her on Sunday evening at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah.

Pakistan had won the toss and decided to bat first. They got off to a cautious and steady start, but Mohammad Haris’ wicket triggered a collapse for Pakistan.

Pakistan opted to bat first, but its inexperienced top-order once again let them down until returned Imad Wasim hammered 64 not out off 57 balls and skipper Shadab Khan added 32 to take the total to 130-6.

Afghanistan’s chase was headed by Rahmanullah Gurbaz (44) and Ibrahim Zadran (38) before Najibullah Zadran produced a quick unbeaten 23 and Mohammad Nabi was 14 not out to help his team to 133-3 with a ball to spare.

Afghanistan, chasing a 131-run goal, got off to a strong start, led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s 44 runs and Ibrahim Zadran’s 38 runs. After losing a few wickets in the middle overs, Najibullah Zadran’s unbeaten 23 off 12 balls and Mohammad Nabi’s 14 not out off nine balls led Afghanistan to a historic series victory over Pakistan with a ball to spare.

This happened to be Afghanistan’s first series victory over Pakistan in any format.

Earlier, Pakistan skipper Shadab Khan chose to bat first after winning the toss for the second time in the series. Nevertheless, similar to the first game, their batting order crumbled as they lost five wickets in 11 overs with only 63 runs on the board.

In the opening over of the match, Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique returned to the pavilion without adding any runs, while Mohammad Haris (15, 9b, 2×4,1×6), Tayyab Tahir (13, 22b), and Azam Khan (1,4b) were the next to go at the conclusion of the 11th over.

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan Captain stated: “Pleasure to win as we’ve always lost against them, with small margins too. Happy for the win, hope to continue the momentum. Wearing Afghanistan colours and leading the team in a win is a proud achievement. (On the pitch) We never know the wicket as it looks and plays differently. Mindset was to go and see how it was playing and adjust accordingly. (Areas of improvement) The top order. We need to improve not just for this series but as we get to the world cup. From now on, we need to put effort day by day and game by game, by the end of the year when we go for the world cup, we’ll have a fully prepared squad.”

Pakistan’s skipper Shadab and all-rounder Imad Wasim took charge of the team’s rescue and scored a crucial 67-run stand for the sixth wicket. Imad, who made his comeback in the side, performed admirably, remaining undefeated on 64 runs off 57 balls, including three fours and two sixes. Shadab, on the other hand, was caught on the penultimate ball of the innings after scoring 32 runs off 25 balls, including three fours.

Shadab Khan, Pakistan Captain said after that match: “Tactics wise, we were fine. But sometimes this can happen due to youngsters being nervous. But they need to be given chances, they will come better. As professionals, we can’t give excuses regarding conditions. We have to learn from the loss here. Ihsan, Zaman’s bowling was a positive. Naseem and Imad’s return was great too. We have give 100% and hopefully will do well in the next game.”

Mohammad Nabi, Player of the match said: “Congrats to everyone. Was a tough score to chase in these conditions. As a bowling unit, we wanted to keep them under 100. With the bat, I wanted to take responsibility and close the game. Most of the guys in our squad are playing big leagues, some have been here in the UAE for 15 days. So we were set. Thirty eight on this wicket can feel like a hundred.”

Pakistan finished their 20-over innings with a total of 130 runs for the cost of six wickets. Afghanistan’s most successful bowler was Fazalhaq Farooqi, who took two wickets for 19 runs in four overs and was awarded player of the match. The series’ third match will be contested tomorrow at the same location.

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Farzeen K

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