Pakistan thrashed Afghanistan by 39 runs in the T20I Tri-Nation series opener at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday night.
Chasing a challenging 183-run target for victory, Afghanistan were bundled out for 143 on the penultimate ball of the match. Skipper Rashid stood as the highest scorer for Afghanistan with a quickfire 39. Opener Rehmanullah Gurbaz, made 38, second highest.
Sediqullah Atal contributed 23, and Darwish Rasooli 21. No other batter could enter the double figures. Haris Rauf bagged four wickets while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz and Sufiyan Muqeem took two wickets apiece. Salman Ali Agha was named player of the match for his valuable contribution with the bat.
Toss:
After winning the toss and opting to bat first, Pakistan reached 182/7 in the allocated 20 overs. Skipper Salman Ali Agha was the top scorer for the Green shirts with an unbeaten 53 of 36 balls, laced with three fours and three maximums.
Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Nawaz made 21 runs each, Fakhar Zaman 20 and Mohammad Haris 15, while Saim Ayub and Faheem Ashraf contributed 14 each. Fareed Ahmed bagged two wickets. Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi one each. Faheem Ashraf ran out.
In head-to-head, Pakistan have so far played seven T20Is against Afghanistan, winning four.
Pakistan Playing XI:
Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem
Afghanistan Playing XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (capt), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmed
Meanwhile, according to espncricinfo, Afghanistan Cricket Team Captain Rashid Khan has appealed to the fans of his team to remain calm during the match. He urged the cricket enthusiasts not to repeat the past ugly episodes. As both neighbours have developed tense relations in Taliban-run Afghanistan, the people often see each other as bitter opponents.
The cricket nations should take the match as a sports event, said Hussain Ahmad, a Pakistani Pashtun who lives in Lahore. Fans of both teams have shocked the cricket enthusiasts around the world during the match between Pakistan and Afghanistan in 2022. They clashed at Sharjah, creating nuance and causing concern for the UAE authorities.
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