SHARJAH (Kashmir English): Pakistan won the final of the tri-series against Afghanistan in Sharjah on Sunday with Mohammad Nawaz taking a hat-trick in a 75-run win.
The victory comes just ahead of the Asia Cup as Nawaz picked up 5-19 in total — his best in T20 Internationals.
Pakistan dismissed Afghanistan for 66 in 15.5 overs while defending a modest 142-run target on a tricky pitch.
Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan took three wickets to help restrict Pakistan to 141-8, with Fakhar Zaman top-scoring with 27.
Nawaz dismissed Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai off successive deliveries for ducks and then sent Ibrahim Zadran to pavilion for nine off the first ball of his next over to complete a hat-trick.
He became the third Pakistani bowler after Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hasnain to achieve the feat in T20Is.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat but struggled against spin. Nawaz made a 21-ball 25 with two sixes while Agha laboured to a 27-ball 24.
Opener Sahibzada Farhan fell off the third ball of the match for a duck. Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 39 runs in the tri-series opener.
Tri-series teams
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Muhammad Haris (wicket-keeper), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufyan Moqim, Abrar Ahmed and Muhammad Nawaz.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
