By Zeeshan Hussain
Pakistan registered a convincing 39-run victory over Afghanistan in the opening match of the tri-nation T20I series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday night. A composed half-century from Salman Ali Agha and a fiery four-wicket spell by Haris Rauf set the foundation for Pakistan’s win. With this result, Pakistan will now face the UAE in the second match of the tournament on Saturday, with play scheduled to begin at 7pm local time.
Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan posted a competitive total of 182 for seven in their allotted 20 overs. Salman anchored the innings brilliantly, finishing unbeaten on 53 from 36 balls, striking three fours and three sixes. His 53-run partnership with Mohammad Nawaz, who made a quickfire 21 off 11 balls, proved crucial after Pakistan had stumbled to 83 for four.
Earlier in the innings, Sahibzada Farhan (21 off 10 balls) and Fakhar Zaman (20 off 17) provided handy contributions at the top of the order. Despite their efforts, Afghanistan’s Fareed Ahmed managed to create some pressure with the ball, picking up two wickets for 47 runs.
Afghanistan, in reply, looked steady at 92 for two but their chase collapsed dramatically as they lost five wickets for just four runs, slipping to 97 for seven. Captain Rashid Khan fought hard with 39 runs, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 38, but the middle and lower order failed to offer resistance.
Pakistan’s bowlers delivered a collective effort to seal the win. Haris Rauf was the standout performer with figures of four for 31, supported by Shaheen Shah Afridi (2-21), Mohammad Nawaz (2-23) and Sufiyan Moqim (2-25). Afghanistan were eventually bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs, handing Pakistan a strong start in the tri-series.
