Afghanistan’s Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal smashed successive half-centuries before their spin attack sent Pakistan reeling to register an 18-run victory in a T20 tri-series match.
The spin trio of Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad, playing his first game of the tournament, scalped six wickets to limit Pakistan to 151-9. Zadran (65) and Atal (64) followed their half-centuries against the UAE a day ago with an impressive 113-run stand as Afghanistan scored 169-5 after captain Rashid Khan won the toss and chose to field.
Haris Rauf, whose four-wicket haul had led Pakistan to a 39-run in the opening game of the tournament, top-scored with an unbeaten 34 off 16 balls, batting at Number 10, but his heroics went in vain.
Fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi set the game for Afghanistan with two wickets inside the powerplay. The left-armer struck off his first ball when Saim Ayub nicked the ball to the wicketkeeper off a mistimed pull shot. Sahibzada Farhan (18) struck two sixes but was clean bowled by Farooqi off a delivery that nipped back and hit the off-stump.
Fakhar Zaman couldn't convert a good start of 25 runs off 18 balls once the Afghan spinners bowled from both ends. He gifted an easy catch to short third man off Nabi, while captain Salman Ali Agha was brilliantly run-out by Khan at the non-striker's end.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have four points each after three games, while the UAE is pointless.
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