Zadran and Atal scored 65 and 64, respectively, but no other batter reached single digits in an innings that was nearly exclusively supported by that one pillar. Pakistan needed 170 to win in wet, foggy conditions, and their bowlers may have thought they had done enough because Saim Ayub’s economical performance and Faheem Ashraf’s spectacular one kept Afghanistan on a leash.
With an outstanding display from their spinners, Afghanistan eliminated Salman Agha’s team and won by 18 runs, capping an emotional victory over Pakistan. Afghanistan’s tenacious performance in Sharjah proved far too strong for Pakistan in the wake of the domestic earthquake, which has claimed over 1400 lives. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal’s 113-run partnership at the second wicket served as the foundation of their innings.
However, the dew proved to be a ridiculously insignificant obstacle for the Afghan spinners. They were set up by Fazalhaq Farooqi, who soon afterward replaced Ayub with a golden duck and a misfiring Sahibzada Farhan. Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, and Muhammad Nabi needed the window to run wild in the center. No batter from Pakistan was ever able to figure out how to target Rashid without taking a lot of chances or which way Noor turned the ball.
Together, the three claimed six wickets as Pakistan fell to 111 for 9 after losing 7 for 49. They were on the verge of a humiliating loss at the time, but Haris Rauf’s brisk little cameo turned the scoreboard around with an undefeated 34 off 16 that sent Pakistan over 150 and gave the impression that the match was more competitive than Afghanistan’s brilliant spin attack had made it.
Together, Zadran and Atal create a unique stand.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s early dismissal after being put in to bowl gave Pakistan a fantastic start. Afghanistan had only plodded to 18 by the conclusion of the fourth over. However, it has been somewhat of a habit for Atal and Zadran to form partnerships that span several innings phases, and they delivered their best one to far.
When Rauf, who had trouble with the ball all day, was hammered for a four and a six in the fifth over, it was the first indication that things were changing. Atal and Zadran then gradually increased the scoring rate while bizarrely rendering the Pakistani bowlers impotent. The signal to launch had been developing, but it appeared to arrive suddenly when the two hit Sufiyan Muqeem for 20 runs in the 14th over. The pair compiled the second-highest second-wicket stand in Afghan T20I history by the time the partnership was eventually broken.
The bright side for Ashraf
Ashraf’s stint was noteworthy on a day that Pakistan would never forget, and it helped to enhance his short-form bowling abilities. Although it was a sluggish, spin-friendly ground, Pakistan looked to Ashraf in the tenth over as they were having trouble breaking that Atal-Zadran partnership. His three-over stay at the back-end proved his worth, but he went through it without doing much harm or getting much damage himself.
He broke the partnership off the second delivery of the 16th, and when Mohammad Nawaz shelled one later that over, he was unlucky not to catch Azmatullah Omarzai. The following over, he would get his man with a slower delivery that was expertly disguised, and two deliveries later, Zadran would benefit from another change of pace. When it was too good for Nabi, taking the ball’s pace continued to be effective. The batting side was kept below 170 thanks to Ashraf’s final three overs, which saw just 18 runs scored and four wickets taken at a time when Pakistan’s bowlers were moving from the other end.
The intermediate order is shredded by Afghan spinners.
Afghanistan feels so secure in defending totals because of this. By the middle of Pakistan’s chase, there was a lot of dew, but Afghanistan’s spinners were circling the hitters and enjoying defending a nearly equal total. After taking two early wickets, Pakistan steadied and maintained the pace; in the powerplay, Fakhar Zaman helped Pakistan reach 52 for 2 by taking 15 off Omarzai’s opening over.
However, the spinners started to weave their web in the eighth over. Fakhar slashed his smear to short third, where Farooqi was able to snag it as Nabi delivered the change-up and darted the ball in. Pakistan added a trademark unforced blunder when the runs were running out, combining slack running with a cunning move by Rashid that caught Salman short of his crease.
Curiously benched for the first two games, left-arm spinner Noor made up for lost time by dismissing Hasan Nawaz with a wicket off his opening delivery. The next over saw Afghanistan dig deep into Pakistan’s tail after Mohammad Haris failed to punish a lengthy hop from Nabi. No amount of deep batting can prevent that kind of collapse against an assault of Afghanistan’s caliber, as they had gone from 62 for 2 to 82 for 6.
India
