SHARJAH – Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 75 runs in the T20 tri-series final, with all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz claiming a five-wicket haul, including his maiden T20I hat-trick. Chasing 142, the Rashid Khan-led Afghan side was bowled out for 66 in just 15.5 overs.
Batting first, Pakistan struggled early as Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed for a duck, but Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman steadied the innings with a 48-run partnership. Fakhar fell for 27, leaving Pakistan at 51/3. Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris contributed modestly before Mohammad Nawaz and captain Salman Agha added a crucial 40-run partnership to push the total past 100. Pakistan finished at 141/8, with Shaheen Afridi unbeaten on 2 alongside Sufiyan Muqeem.
For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan took three wickets, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad picked two each, and Ghazanfar took one. Earlier, Rashid had restricted Pakistan with three key wickets. Both teams had finished the group stage on six points, each losing once to the other, while hosts UAE exited the tournament without a win.
Pakistan Squad: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (c), Mohammad Nabi, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Among this development, check out PCB Unveils Tri-Series with Pakistan, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka
