Afghanistan set Pakistan a 258-run purpose to chase of their Asia Cup 2018 Super four match in Abu Dhabi. The match was decided throughout the ultimate over, as Pakistan chased the purpose with solely three balls to spare.
Pakistan started the innings steadily and took minimal risks, further so on account of lack of Fakhar Zaman early throughout the innings. Zaman was adjudged leg sooner than wicket with out troubling the scorers.
On the end of the first 15 overs, Pakistan had managed to put solely 57 runs on the board for the dearth of 1 wicket.
Opener Imam-ul-Haq partnered with Babar Azam to assemble an trustworthy second-wicket partnership of 154 runs. Imam scored 80 sooner than being run out, whereas Babar regarded common for his 66.
Nonetheless, it was Shoaib Malik who starred for Pakistan, scoring a blistering of 51 runs off 43 balls to see his employees by way of.
Afghanistan innings
After Asghar Afghan, the Afghanistan captain obtained the toss and decided to bat first, Mohammad Shahzad and Ihsanullah opened their innings, whereas Usman Shinwari and Shaheen Afridi shared the model new ball for Pakistan.
With the southpaw pacers bowling a very good line and measurement, Afghan pacers found runs exhausting to return by throughout the first 5 overs and managed merely 20 runs. The scarcity of runs did drive them to play some rash strokes nevertheless fortunately for them, their errors didn’t convert into dismissals.
Pakistan’s outdated demons throughout the topic reared their head throughout the eighth over when Ishanullah was dropped on back-to-back Afridi deliveries, first by Fakhar Zaman after which Shinwari.
The breakthrough lastly acquired right here throughout the ninth over when Ihsanullah was caught and bowled by Mohammad Nawaz. Whereas the bowler deserved credit score rating, it is likely to be unfair to not level out the stress captain Sarfraz Ahmed had created for the batsman from behind the wicket alongside along with his nonstop vocals throughout the buildup.
On the first ball of the 11th, Nawaz had Shahzad caught behind, which, which when combined alongside along with his wicket on the ultimate ball of the sooner over, put him on a hat-trick; it didn’t happen though.
Runs had been already exhausting to return by, and the twin blow did not help the Afghan set off. By the highest of 15 overs, they’d been lagging at 57-2, with Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah throughout the middle.
The pair continued their cautious batting for the next 5 overs, taking the score to 74-Zero on the end of the 20th.
With boundaries a rarity, Shahidi, and Shah did the good issue by relying on singles and doubles, taking to achieve to 93-2 after 25 overs.
Their 63-run stand lastly acquired right here to a end throughout the 26th over when Nawaz repeated his caught-and-bowled trick as soon as extra, this time sending once more Shah (36 off 51 balls) to decide on up his third wicket.
Afghan captain walked in to hitch Shahidi, nevertheless, their common, unspectacular technique did not change. On the end of the 30th over, they’d been 116-3.
Throughout the 36th over, the cautious technique was lastly allotted with for an additional adventurous one, with Asghar hitting a four and a six to an in some other case fantastic Nawaz
Every Shahidi and Asghar launched up their half-centuries throughout the 40th over, on the end of which their score was 170-3.
After Sohail dropped the game’s third match off Afridi’s bowling, the debutant took the problems in his private arms, bowling out the Afghan captain Asghar (67) throughout the 42nd over.
The next over observed one different catch dropped the game’s fourth until that point with the accountable get collectively being Afridi himself.
Afridi obtained his second of the night throughout the 44th over, with the dangerous Mohammad Nabi departing when Hasan Ali opted to not observe the sports activities fad of dropping easy catches.
With merely 5 overs left throughout the innings, Afghanistan had been 206-5 and eyeing an entire nearer to 250.
Hasan bowled out Najibullah Zadran throughout the 47th over and did the equivalent to Shahidi throughout the penultimate over, solely to see his ball adjudged a no-ball. The resultant free-hit was dispatched for four as Afghanistan reached 242 with just one over left.
Shahidi, after being given a lifeline by Hasan’s overstretching foot, found an extra gear and smacked a variety of further boundaries.
No matter that late flurry, the left-hander could not get his century, ending merely three runs fast. Afghanistan, within the meantime, accomplished their innings at 257-6.
Group info
Earlier, Sarfraz made three changes to his collaborating in eleven, with Muhammad Amir and Faheem Ashraf dropped and Shadab Khan rested attributable to an hurt.
Study: Pakistan v Afghanistan: Do Men in Green have anything to worry about?
Debutant Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, and Haris Sohail modified the outgoing trio.
Line-ups
Pakistan: 1 Imam-ul-Haq, 1 Fakhar Zaman, Three Babar Azam, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Sarfraz Ahmed (capt, wk), 6 Asif Ali, 7 Haris Sohail, eight Mohammad Nawaz, 9 Hasan Ali, 10 Usman Khan, 11 Shaheen Afridi
Afghanistan: 1 Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 2 Ihsanullah Janat, Three Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi, 5 Asghar Afghan (capt), 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Najibullah Zadran, eight Gulbadin Naib, 9 Rashid Khan, 10 Aftab Alam, 11 Mujeeb Ur Rahman