Afghanistan claimed a memorable 18-run victory over Pakistan in the UAE tri-series clash at Sharjah, thanks to brilliant batting from Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal, and a dominant spin performance that dismantled Pakistan’s chase.

Zadran and Atal Anchor Afghanistan’s Innings

Despite losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz early, Afghanistan found stability through a remarkable second-wicket stand between Ibrahim Zadran (65) and Sediqullah Atal (64). Their 113-run partnership, the second-highest for Afghanistan at that position in T20Is, formed the backbone of the innings.

Pakistan’s bowlers, particularly Faheem Ashraf (4-27), did well to restrict the scoring in patches, but Afghanistan still managed to post 169 for 5.

β€œπ‘¨π’•π’‚π’ 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒁𝒂𝒅𝒓𝒂𝒏 𝒓𝒆𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π‘·π’‚π’Œπ’Šπ’”π’•π’‚π’ π’ƒπ’π’˜π’π’†π’“π’” π’”π’•π’“π’‚π’π’ˆπ’†π’π’š 𝒕𝒐𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒍𝒆𝒔𝒔, π’˜π’‰π’Šπ’π’† π’ˆπ’“π’‚π’…π’–π’‚π’π’π’š π’„π’“π’‚π’π’Œπ’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒖𝒑 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’”π’„π’π’“π’Šπ’π’ˆ 𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒆,” 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒐𝒃𝒔𝒆𝒓𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒅.

Ashraf provided Pakistan’s only silver lining with a late flurry of wickets, showcasing variations and control at the death.

Afghan Spinners Seal the Game

Chasing 170, Pakistan looked steady at 52 for 2 after the powerplay. However, the Afghan spinners turned the game on its head. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck early before Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmad combined to wreak havoc.

From 62 for 2, Pakistan collapsed to 82 for 6, unable to read Noor’s variations or counter Rashid’s sharp turn. Despite a fighting cameo from Haris Rauf (34* off 16), Pakistan could only reach 151 for 9.

β€œπ‘»π’‰π’† π’…π’†π’˜ π’˜π’‚π’” 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 π’ƒπ’‚π’•π’•π’Šπ’π’ˆ, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 π‘¨π’‡π’ˆπ’‰π’‚π’π’Šπ’”π’•π’‚π’β€™π’” π’”π’‘π’Šπ’π’π’†π’“π’” π’Žπ’‚π’…π’† π’Šπ’• π’π’π’π’Œ π’Šπ’“π’“π’†π’π’†π’—π’‚π’π’•,” π’“π’†π’Žπ’‚π’“π’Œπ’†π’… 𝒂 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕-π’Žπ’‚π’•π’„π’‰ π’‚π’π’‚π’π’šπ’”π’•.

This victory was especially emotional for Afghanistan, coming in the backdrop of the devastating earthquake at home. Their resilience on the field mirrored the nation’s fighting spirit.

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