SHARJAH (Kashmir English): Both batting and bowling helped Pakistan to claim a resounding 39-run victory over Afghanistan in the opening match (Pak vs Afg) of the T20I tri-series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Chasing a daunting 183-run target, Afghanistan’s batting unit unfolded on a meagre 143 in 19.5 overs despite all-rounder Rashid Khan’s effort.
Afghanistan were in a comfortable position at the conclusion of the seventh over as they were 60/1, with opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz dominating Pakistan’s bowling attack.
Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz gave Pakistan a much-needed breakthrough in the following over by bowling Gurbaz round his leg. He made a 27-ball 38 with the help of three fours and a six.
Following his dismissal, Darwish Rasooli (21) and Sediqullah Atal (23) attempted to retain the momentum but could put together 25 runs during their third-wicket partnership, which culminated with the latter’s dismissal off Haris Rauf in the 12th over.
His dismissal sparked a match-defining middle-order collapse, which saw Afghanistan lose four more wickets for as many runs and consequently slipped to 97/7 in 14.1 overs before Rashid’s grit.
After the Afghanistan captain’s departure, Pakistan’s bowling unit swiftly swept away the opposition’s batting tail to round up a dominant victory in their campaign opener.
Haris Rauf led the bowling charge for Pakistan, taking four wickets for 31 runs in 3.5 overs, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem and Mohammad Nawaz chipped in with two each.
Both these teams and the United Arab Emirates will play a double round-robin format T20I series, which will be held from August 29 to September 5.
All the matches of the Tri-Series will be played at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
The series will serve as a rehearsal for the upcoming Asia Cup, scheduled from September 9 to 28 in the UAE.
Pak vs Afg Playing XI
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Sufiyan Muqeem
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Fareed Ahmed
Where to watch Pak vs Afg tri-series match
The Pakistan vs Afghanistan tri-series match is being live telecast on ARY Sports and Ten Sports, while fans can enjoy live streaming on Tamasha on their mobile phones.
The match between Afghanistan and Pakistan will be streamed live on the FanCode app and website in India, while it will be available on Eurosport on TV.
Fans in Bangladesh can telecast the match on T Sports, and the live-stream on Tapmad. In Afghanistan, the tri-series will be available on Etisalat.
In India, the tri-series will be streamed on the FanCode app and website, while it will be shown on Eurosport on TV.
SuperSport network, including SuperSport Cricket, will show the matches live in South Africa, Ary Digital in the UK, Cricbuzz and Sportainment in the Middle East and North African nations.
The tri-series matches will be available to the USA and the North American audience on Willow. Elsewhere, Sports Central by DRM will show the matches live.
