PAK vs AFG Review – Naseem Shah seals a heroic chase against Afghanistan
Pakistan clinched a last-over thriller against Afghanistan to make it to the finals of the Asia Cup 2022 stages. From 87 for 3, the Pakistan side collapsed to 110 for 8 while chasing a total of 130, and from the verges of defeat, Naseem Shah hit two sixes to win the game for his side.
Earlier in the game, the Afghanistan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai came out with an attacking mindset and did produce some fireworks early. However, the Pakistan quick bowlers kept hitting the right lengths and wickets at regular intervals meant that the scoring rate went down. The spinners strangled quite well in the middle overs and Ibrahim Zadran was the top scorer in the innings with a 35-run knock.
Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai did well to finish the innings on a high and helped Afghanistan to a total of 129 for 6 in the 20 overs. Haris Rauf was the pick of the bowlers while all the other seamers chipped in with handy economical spells.
Top Performers of the game
Haris Rauf
Haris Rauf bowled a brilliant spell and he was the one to start the damage against the Afghanistan batting line up by picking up the prized wicket of Rahmanullah Gurbaz. In fact, he cleaned up the opener by going through his defences with a stunning delivery and came back later in the innings to remove Ibrahim Zadran. The right-arm speedster finished with 2 for 26 in his four overs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled an outstanding spell until he gave away two sixes in his final over to hand over the victory to Pakistan. Nevertheless, the left-arm seamer picked up 3 for 31 in his 3.2 overs, and Afghanistan would not have had any chances if he did not provide the early breakthroughs. He got the big wickets of Babar Azam, and Mohammad Nawaz to change the game in Afghanistan’s favour for a brief period.
What next for the new teams
Afghanistan will meet India on September 8 at the Dubai International Stadium while Pakistan will next play Sri Lanka in the final game of the Super 4 on September 9 at the Dubai International Stadium.
