Pakistan beats Afghanistan by 5 wickets in nail-biter T20 match

KABUL (Pajhwok): Pakistan on Friday defeated Afghanistan by five wickets in the ICC T20 World Cup group match played in Dubai, United Arab Emirate.

Asif Ali emerged as the hero for Pakistan for the second straight game of T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday as he hit four sixes in the penultimate over of a successful run chase against Afghanistan.

Earlier, Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib lifted Afghanistan to a fighting 147-6.

Naib smashed a 25-ball 35 not out while Nabi scored an undefeated 32-ball 35 as they helped Afghanistan recover from 76-6 with an unbroken seventh wicket stand of 71 after they won the toss and batted.

All six top Afghanistan batsmen were caught playing rash shots but Nabi and Naib added 54 runs in the last five overs to give their team a fighting total.

Naib hit two fours and a six off paceman Hasan Ali to take 21 off the 18th over and the pair scored 15 in the 19th bowled by Haris Rauf.

Naib’s knock had four boundaries and a six while Nabi hit five boundaries. Left-arm spinner Imad Wasim was the pick of Pakistan’s bowlers with 2-25, dismissing dangerous opener Hazratullah for a five-ball duck.

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