Afghanistan delivered a stunning blow to Pakistan in the first T20I of the three-match series at Sharjah, where they beat the Shadab Khan-led side by six wickets. This was only the eighth white-ball encounter between the two teams in the last 11 years.
Khan won the toss and chose to bat, but little did they know the struggles that awaited them. The pitch was challenging to bat on, and Afghanistan kept a tight grip on Pakistan’s batters, not giving them any breathing room. Saim Ayub’s score of 17 off 15 deliveries was the highest among Shadab’s team, which speaks volumes of how well Afghanistan bowled or how poorly Pakistan batted.
Fazal-Haq-Farooqui was the star bowler for Afghanistan, taking two wickets for just 13 runs in four overs, while Mujeeb ur Rehman gave away only nine runs in four overs and took two wickets. Mohammad Nabi also took two wickets for 12 runs in three overs, and captain Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai and Naveen ul Haq each took a wicket. These remarkable bowling performances restricted Pakistan to just 92/9.
In response, Afghanistan chased the target of 93 runs, losing only four wickets in the process. The Pakistan bowlers showed some resistance, but Nabi (38 not out) and Najibullah Zadran (17 not out) made sure that no further damage was done, as the team chased down the total with 13 balls to spare. The victory was a significant achievement for Afghanistan, and it showcased their potential as a strong cricketing team.
The second T20I will also take place at Sharjah on March 26, Sunday. It will be interesting to see how Pakistan will respond to this loss and whether Afghanistan can continue their winning momentum.
Here’s how Twitter reacted:
🎉 Congratulations to the entire Afghan Nation! 🏏
So proud of our on a fantastic first-ever international victory over ! | |
— Diva Patang (@DivaPatang)
Winning Moments – From another angle 🤩
Watch the winning shot of from another angle as the big man sealed a historic win for Afghanistan. 🔥🤩💪 | |
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials)
Remarkable victory by Afghanistan. You have made us proud. Great team effort. T20 Series
— Hekmat Khalil Karzai (@HekmatKarzai)
This is the first time Afghanistan has defeated Pakistan in a T20I. Pakistan had won the three previous matches between the two nations
— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket)
Afghan tri-color 🇦🇫 won against two
(🇵🇰 🏳?!— Mahmood Takal (@WMTakal)
beat Pakistan for the first time in a T20. Afghan superior bowling was too hot for ’s young batters to handle.
Cool was calm chasing that small but tense target. was played in good spirit which is good for the .
— Bashir Ahmad Gwakh (@bashirgwakh)
http://twitter.com/AnqaHidayat/status/1639403297810395140
Congratulations Afghanistan. 🎉🥳 President what a finish! Well done
— Ismail Miakhail 🇦🇫 (@IsmailMiakhail)
Afghanistan takes a 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Scorecard:
— betvisa68.com (@CricketTimesHQ)
Are you missing them right now? 🤔
— Cricket Pakistan (@cricketpakcompk)
🚨Final Result
Afghanistan defeats Pakistan for the first time in international cricket by 6 wickets!
— Peshawar Zalmi (@PeshawarZalmi)
Afghanistan fans celebrating the historic win against Pakistan in Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
— World Times (@WorldTimesWT)
