PAK vs AFG T20 Asia Cup Highlights: What a game this has been. Afghanistan have shown great courage and never give up attitude. They sent back Babar Azam, fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan early but the partnership between Shadab Khan and Ifthikhar Ahmed put PAK back on top. However, the wicket of Ahmed has given Afghanistan a glimmer of hope once again.
Afghanistan have made a great start in their quest to defend 129. Fazalhaq Farooqi started the inning with a bang and dismissed Babar Azam for a duck. fakhar was then run out soon to leave Pakistan in a spot of bother. Mohammad Rizwan holds the key for Pakistan while Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman will be the main men with the ball.
A cameo by Rashid Khan has pushed Afghanistan to 130 but Rashid along with Muheeb ul Rahman and Fazalfaq farroqi will need to spell magic and defend this for Afghanistan to stay alive in the match. Getting Babar Azam Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman early will be key.
Pakistan will be delighted with the way they have bounced back in the match. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai have Afghanistan a flying start in the powerplay but the introduction of spinners Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz put the breaks on run scoring. Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain made full use of the tangle and added a few wickets to their tally. AFG have lost 7 wickets and they are in a miserable state right now.
Ten overs have been completed and Afghanistan have scored 72 runs for the loss of two wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah gave the team a flying start before both batters were bowled by Haris rauf and Mohammad Hasnain respectively. Ibrahim Zadran and Hazratullah Zazai have since then stablised the inning and ensured there is no major collapse.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai gave Afghanistan a blazing start before Haris Rauf dismissed clean-bowled Gurbaz. Mohammad Hasnain soon after clean bowled Hazratullah Zazai as well for 21. Babar Azam was a concerned man by the time Gurbaz and Zazai were at the wicket but he can breathe a sigh of relief now.
Babar Azam-led Pakistan will eye a final berth in Asia Cup 2022 when they take on Mohammad Nabi’s Afghanistan. Pakistan beat India in the first Super 4 game thus a win will take them through to the final along with Sri Lanka. A win for Afghanistan, on the other hand, will keep the hopes alive for Afghanistan and also India.
Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, and Naseem Shah are in great form in the tournament thus Pakistan will start the match as favourites but with Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, Najibullah Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalfaq Farooqi in the team, Afghanistan are well capable to upset Pakistan, especially in the conditions of Dubai International Stadium.
Indian fans will be keeping a keen eye on this match as a win for Afghanistan will keep India’s campaign alive. If Afghanistan beat Pakistan, Sri Lanka beat Pakistan and India beat Afghanistan, India, Pakistan and Afghanistan will have one win each after which net run rate will decide which team progresses to the final along with Sri Lanka.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan, Asia Cup 2022 Squads:
Afghanistan Squad: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Usman Ghani, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad
Pakistan Squad: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, Haider Ali, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani