Sharjah: Afghanistan set a target of 93 runs in the first T20 against Pakistan. Despite replacing the senior players and giving a chance to the newcomers, Pakistan could not keep up in front of Afghanistan. Mujeeb ur Rehman, Mohammad Nabi and Fazlhaq Farooqui took two wickets each to destroy Pakistan. Imad Wasim was Pakistan’s top scorer with 18 runs. Shadab Khan (12), Saim Ayub (17) and Tayyab Tahir (16) are the other players who got double figures. Shadab replaces Babar Azam to lead Pakistan. Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi are not in Pakistan squad.
Pakistan got off to a poor start after winning the toss and electing to bat. They lost half a wicket in 7.2 overs. Muhammad Haris (6), Abdullah Shafiq (0), Ayub (17), Tayyab Tahir (16) and Azam Khan (0) returned. With this, Pakistan were at 41 for five. The Wasim-Shadab combination in the middle order seemed to save the day. But Mujeeb gave Afghan a break through by dismissing Shadab. With Faheem Ashraf (2) and Naseem Shah (2) also returning, Pakistan could not do much. Zaman Khan (8) and Ishanula (6) remained unbeaten.
Four players made their T20 debut for Pakistan today. Saim Ayub, Ishanullah, Zaman Khan and Tayyab Tahir are the debutants. There are three matches in the series. The second T20 will be held on Sunday. Third T20 on Monday. Sharjah will be the venue for all the matches.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Najeebullah Zadran, Muhammad Nabi, Karim Janat, Ahmadullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rehman, Fazlhaq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq,
Pakistan: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris, Abdullah Shafique, Tayyab Tahir, Shadab Khan, Azam Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Imad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Zaman Khan, Ishanullah.
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Last Updated Mar 24, 2023, 11:14 PM IST