Afghanistan sealed an epoch-making win against Pakistan in the second T20I in Sharjah to gain an unassailable lead in the three-match series. After Fazalhaq Farooqi’s 2 for 19 helped confine Pakistan to 130/6 on a sluggish deck, Najibullah Zadran (23* off 12) and Mohammad Nabi (14* off 9) navigated a tense last few overs to nudge Afghanistan over the line. Needing 22 off the last two overs, Afghanistan edged ahead in the penultimate over delivered by Naseem Shah, who conceded 17 runs, with both Nabi and Najibullah hitting a six each.
Earlier, Pakistan lost Saim Ayub and Abdullah Shafique in the first over of the game. The hosts were reeling at 63/5 after 11 overs when Imad Wasim (64* off 57) and Shadab (32* off 25) joined forces for a 67-run stand and ushered Pakistan to a respectable total, which was overhauled by their less-fancied opponents.
Brief Scores: Pakistan 130/6 (Imad 64*; Farooqi 2-19) lost to Afghanistan 133/3 in 19.5 overs (Gurbaz 44; Zaman 1-22) by 7 wickets
Rashid nicely operating his googlies ☝️👏#AfghanAtalan | #AFGvPAK | #LobaBaRangRawri pic.twitter.com/ZHgf5DpnCV
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) March 27, 2023
