Ibrahim, Atal set foundation before Afghan bowlers humble Pakistan

Ibrahim Zadran (65) and Sediqullah Atal (64) fared well in Sharjah as Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 18 runs to go level on points with their neighbours in the tri-series underway in the UAE. An all-round bowling performance then saw four Afghan bowlers pick up two wickets each to stifle their opponents in the chase. For Pakistan, Faheem Ashraf returned an impressive 4 for 27 in his spell but his exploits went down the drain.

Afghanistan retaliate after early blow

Having opted to bat, Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell to the spin of Saim Ayub in the second over. The wicket brought Atal and Ibrahim together, and with the scoreboard reading 18/1 after 4 overs Ibrahim enabled his counterpunching mode. Short deliveries by Haris Rauf were dispatched. Atal timed an inside-out shot so well that the ball flew over the ropes before five runs off an overthrow meant 15 were fetched off the seventh over.

Despite the flow of runs, Ayub was miserly with the ball conceding just 18 runs in his 4 overs. It was the 14th over which injected further momentum into the innings. Having struggled to take the attack to Sufiyaan Muqeem, the duo hammered three fours and a six in the jumbo 20-run over. The 113-run partnership came to a close with the wicket of Atal while Azmatullah Omarzai was dropped in the last ball of the same over, bowled by Ashraf.

Haris Rauf endures a poor outing

Rauf continued to prove expensive as Ibrahim laid into him to fetch three boundaries. However, Ashraf struck twice in three deliveries in his second over and also claimed the wicket of Karim Janat before Mohammad Nabi propelled Afghanistan to 169 for 5.

Ayub fell first ball to Fazalhaq Farooqi in the chase, but Fakhar Zaman came in all guns blazing. He extended his blitz with a four and a six off Ghazanfar before his furniture was disturbed by Farooqi. Pakistan were 52 for 2 at the end of the PowerPlay.

Afghanistan failed to convert a run-out chance and thus reprieved Zaman but to their fortune, the southpaw soon found short third-man. Agha was run-out in the next over as Pakistan suddenly started feeling the jitters. They never quite recovered from the stutter as Hasan Nawaz succumbed to Noor Ahmad while Nabi prised out Mohammad Haris. Rashid Khan’s double whammy left Pakistan eight-down, and the result was all but assured in Afghanistan’s favour nothwithstanding some late fireworks by Rauf.