The second ODI between Afghanistan and Pakistan made up for the first game’s lopsided outcome with a thrilling conclusion. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran’s spectacular 227-run opening partnership propelled Afghanistan to a 300/5 total after choosing to bat first. Gurbaz, a wicketkeeper-batsman from Sri Lanka, reached his fifth ODI century with a knock of 151 off the same number of balls, lighting up the Mahindra Rajapaksa International Stadium in Hambantota.
In the final 10 overs, Babar Azam’s bowlers restored order by giving up just 73 runs. In order to chase down a difficult total, Pakistan’s openers put up a respectable 52 runs. The Pakistani captain teamed up with Imam-ul-Haq after Fakhar Zaman was dismissed, and the two of them put together a 118-run partnership to provide their team a strong foundation. Talented batters like Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Usama Mir, and Mohammad Rizwan, however, struggled to get going. Shadab Khan, Pakistan’s vice-captain, scored a crucial innings of 48 in 35 balls to push his team to the limit.
Hashmatullah Shahidi gave the ball to his best pacer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, with 11 runs needed off the final over. Shadab was waiting at the non-striker’s end while the No. 10 batter, Naseem Shah, was on strike. Shadab was backing up as Farooqi approached to bowl the first ball of the over, so he quickly removed the bails to catch him outside of his crease. The Pakistani all-rounder wasn’t pleased with the way he was dismissed. Farooqi, though, had successfully taken an important wicket while remaining within the bounds of the rules of the game.Another denial of Afghanistan by Naseem Shah
By smashing a few sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over of Pakistan’s Asia Cup match against Afghanistan, the 20-year-old Naseem contributed to Pakistan’s victory.
The left-arm pacer saw flashbacks to the 2022 Asia Cup as Naseem once more unleashed a blitzkrieg on him.
Pakistan had just one wicket left when Shadab was run out, and Haris Rauf had joined Naseem in the middle. The young bowler needed just one more delivery to win the match after hitting two boundaries in the over. Pakistan now has a 2-0 lead with one game remaining in the three-match series as a result of their tight victory.
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