In a thrilling encounter at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by 66 runs in the third T20 international match. However, despite the loss, Afghanistan won the three-match series 2-1, becoming the first-ever team to beat Pakistan in a T20 series on their home ground.
The match was a high-scoring affair, with both teams putting up big scores on the board. Afghanistan won the toss and elected to field first. Pakistan got off to a shaky start, losing opener Sharjeel Khan in the very first over of the match. However, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the innings with a brilliant partnership of 97 runs.
Azam played a captain’s knock, scoring 49 runs off 43 balls before getting dismissed by Karim Janat. Rizwan, on the other hand, played a blistering innings of 91 runs off just 60 balls, smashing nine fours and three sixes. His innings included some magnificent strokes, with the highlight being a huge six over long-on off the bowling of Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Pakistan finished their innings with a mammoth score of 233/6, thanks to some late hitting by Faheem Ashraf, who scored an unbeaten 24 off just 8 balls.
In reply, Afghanistan got off to a good start, with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Hazratullah Zazai putting up a 63-run partnership for the first wicket. Zazai played some breathtaking strokes, hitting three fours and six sixes in his innings of 47 runs off just 23 balls.
However, once Zazai got out, Afghanistan lost their momentum and kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Gurbaz scored 44 runs off 37 balls, but he couldn’t get support from his teammates as Afghanistan was bowled out for 167 runs in the 17th over.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi was the pick of the bowlers, taking three wickets for 37 runs in his four overs. Hasan Ali and Haris Rauf also chipped in with two wickets each.
Despite the loss, Afghanistan won the three-match series 2-1, becoming the first team to beat Pakistan in a T20 series on their home ground. It was a historic achievement for Afghanistan, who have been rapidly improving their cricketing skills in recent years.
The series was a great opportunity for both teams to prepare for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which will be held later this year in Australia. Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have shown their strengths and weaknesses in this series, and they will be looking to improve their game ahead of the mega-event.