Pakistan began their tri-series campaign with a win, defeating Afghanistan with a well-rounded performance at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday. Chasing a challenging target of 183 runs, Afghanistan’s batting lineup collapsed to a mere 143 in 19.5 overs, despite a gritty knock from Rashid Khan.
The bowling all-rounder was the top scorer for his side, hitting a quickfire 39 off just 16 balls, which included one four and five sixes. However, his efforts were not enough to lead Afghanistan to victory. Afghanistan was in a comfortable position at the end of the seventh over, with the score at 60/1, as opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz was dominating Pakistan’s bowlers.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz provided a crucial breakthrough for Pakistan in the next over, bowling Gurbaz around his legs. Gurbaz had scored 38 off 27 deliveries, with three fours and a six. Following his dismissal, Darwish Rasooli (21) and Sediqullah Atal (23) tried to maintain the momentum but could only add 25 runs for the third wicket before Atal was dismissed by Haris Rauf in the 12th over.
Atal’s dismissal triggered a match-defining collapse of the middle order, which saw Afghanistan lose four more wickets for the same number of runs, slipping to 97/7 in 14.1 overs before Rashid Khan’s determined resistance. After the Afghanistan captain was out, Pakistan’s bowlers quickly finished off the opposition’s tail to secure a dominant victory in their campaign opener.
Haris Rauf was the star of Pakistan’s bowling attack, taking four wickets for 31 runs in 3.5 overs. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Mohammad Nawaz each contributed with two wickets.
Earlier, the Green Shirts set a target of 183 runs for Afghanistan, anchored by a resilient unbeaten 53 from captain Salman Ali Agha. Pakistan started their innings quickly but lost Sahibzada Farhan in the third over with 26 runs on the board. The right-handed opener smashed 21 off 10 balls, including one four and two sixes.
Experienced top-order batter Fakhar Zaman then joined Saim Ayub in the middle, and they built a solid 29-run partnership for the second wicket, which was broken by Rashid Khan who dismissed Ayub in the seventh over. Ayub scored a cautious 14 off 16 deliveries with two boundaries. Pakistan then lost two more quick wickets—Fakhar Zaman (20) and Hasan Nawaz (nine)—and their score slipped to 83/4 in 11.1 overs.
Following this slump, Agha and all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz launched a counterattack against the in-form Afghanistan bowlers, adding 53 runs for the fifth wicket in just 28 deliveries. Mujeeb Ur Rahman eventually broke the partnership in the 16th over, getting rid of Nawaz, who had contributed 21 runs off 11 balls with one four and two sixes.
Agha was then joined by wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris (15) for a 31-run partnership before Haris fell victim to Fareed Ahmad on the second ball of the final over. Salman Ali Agha remained the top-scorer for Pakistan, finishing with an unbeaten 53 off 36 balls, decorated with three fours and three sixes.
For Afghanistan, Fareed Ahmad took two wickets but was expensive, conceding 47 runs in his four overs. Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman each took one wicket.
The tri-series, which is being played from August 29 to September 7, is considered vital preparation for the upcoming ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup, scheduled to take place in the UAE from September 9 to 28. Originally, a bilateral series between Pakistan and Afghanistan was planned for August. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suggested converting it into a tri-nation event and moving it to the UAE to give players an opportunity to acclimate to local conditions ahead of the Asia Cup. Historically, Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced off seven times in T20 Internationals, with Pakistan winning four matches and Afghanistan three.
