Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 75 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to clinch the Tri-Nation T2I0 Series title. National captain Salman Ali Agha hailed the triumph as a collective team effort and described it as an important milestone in preparations for the upcoming Asia Cup.

Captain Salman Agha’s Remarks

  • Tough Target: “We knew that reaching close to 140 would be challenging and once we got there, we were confident it would not be easy for Afghanistan to chase.”
  • Praise for Mohammad Nawaz: “Since Nawaz’s return, he has been outstanding in all three departments—batting, bowling and fielding. We can rely on him in crunch moments.”
  • Two-Spinner Strategy: “That decision was based on the pitch conditions and today it worked perfectly.”
  • Asia Cup Preparations: “Winning this series was important but our real goal was preparation for the Asia Cup. We are in good form and fully ready.”
Pakistan Clinch Tri-Nation T20I Series

Mohammad Nawaz’s Memorable Performance

All-rounder Mohammad Nawaz delivered the best performance of his career taking 5 wickets for 19 runs including a spectacular hat-trick.

  • He dismissed Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai for ducks on consecutive deliveries.
  • On the very first ball of his next over, he sent Ibrahim Zadran back to complete his hat-trick.
  • Nawaz thus became the third Pakistani bowler to claim a T20 International hat-trick following Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hasnain.
Mohammad Nawaz

Match Highlights

Batting first, Pakistan posted 141 runs. Fakhar Zaman top-scored with 27 runs while Mohammad Nawaz added a quick 25. Afghan skipper Rashid Khan took 3 wickets restricting Pakistan from a bigger total. In reply, Afghanistan collapsed to just 66 runs, their second-lowest total in T20 Internationals.Only Rashid Khan (17) and Sediqullah Atal (13) managed to reach double figures.

Match Summary

AspectDetails
VenueSharjah Cricket Stadium
ResultPakistan won by 75 runs
Pakistan’s Score141/8 (20 overs)
Afghanistan’s Score66 all out (15.5 overs)
Pakistan’s Top BattersFakhar Zaman 27, Mohammad Nawaz 25, Salman Agha 24
Afghanistan’s Top BowlerRashid Khan 3 wickets
Pakistan’s Top BowlerMohammad Nawaz 5–19 (including hat-trick)
Record HighlightAfghanistan’s 2nd-lowest T20 International total

Next Steps

  1. Afghanistan will open their Asia Cup campaign against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
  2. Pakistan will face arch-rival India in their opening fixture with Oman and the UAE also part of their group.