SHARJAH – Naseem Shah, the last man standing on the wicket, helped Pakistan grab an incredible victory over Afghanistan in Asia Cup’s Super Four stage at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
The 19 years old smashed two consecutive sixes in the final over, snatching a nearly achievable victory from the hands of Afghanistan.Chasing a simple target of 130, the top order of the Pakistani squad tumbled, and Naseem was the last player who hits back-to-back shots in final over to win nailbiting thriller.
Afghan bowling side have displayed A-game as they sent Pakistani skipper Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan early but the partnership between Shadab Khan and Ifthikhar Ahmed put Men in Green back.
Iftikhar Ahmed was then outclassed which gave Afghanistan a glimmer of hope once again.
Nabi-led squad then continues to thrash the middle order at regular intervals to push Men in Green out of the game while two other promising players Nawaz and Asif Ali failed to deliver.
The last-minute heroic from young pacer Naseem Shah helped Team Green to clinch the game.
In the first half of the game, Afghanistan’s opening side tumbled; Rahmanullah Gurbaz (17) and Hazratallah Zazai (21) returned to the pavilion as their innings got derailed.
Young blood Ibrahim Zadran remains the top scorer with 35, despite the efforts the Afghan side post 129, far less than what cricket pundits predicted before the clash.
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