Pakistan thrashed Afghanistan by 75 runs in the final to clinch the T20I Tri-Nation Series at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening.
Chasing a 142-run target for victory, Afghanistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals. They and were bundled out for 66 in 15.5 overs.
Skipper Rashid Khan remained the top scorer for Afghanistan with 17 runs. Sediqullah Atal contributed 13. No other batter could enter the double figures.
Player of the Match:
Player of the match Mohammad Nawaz was the top performer with the ball, with career-best figures of 5/19. His quote included a hat-trick in four overs. The tournament management also named him as player of the series. Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem bagged two wickets each, while Shaheen Shah Afridi got one wicket.
After winning the toss and electing to bat first, Pakistan reached 141/8 in the allocated 20 overs.
Scorecard:
Fakhar Zaman was the highest scorer for the Green shirts with 27 runs, followed by Mohammad Nawaz, who made 25 off 21 balls. Skipper Salman Ali Agha contributed 24 off 27 balls, Saim Ayub 17 off 19 balls, and Faheem Ashraf and Hasan Nawaz 15 runs each.
Skipper Rashid Khan bagged three wickets and Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad two each. AM Ghazanfar got one wicket.
Both teams finished the group stage with six points each, losing one game against each other. The hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) remained winless.
Pakistan Playing XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed
Afghanistan Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Pakistan team will now play Asia Cup in the UAE. The PCB has also announced a home T20I tri-series in November. Cricket teams of Sri Lank and Afghanistan will visit Pakistan to participate in the event.
Also read:
Pakistan to Host Two International Cricket Events in October, November
