Afghanistan spinners rip through Pakistan in 18-run victory as Pakistan batters barely found any answers to spin.
Atal, Ibrahim and Afghanistan spinners brush Pakistan aside.
With an outstanding display from their spinners, Afghanistan eliminated Salman Agha’s team and won by 18 runs, capping an emotional victory over Pakistan. Afghanistan’s tenacious performance in Sharjah proved far too strong for Pakistan in the wake of the domestic earthquake, which has claimed over 1400 lives. Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal’s 113-run partnership at the second wicket served as the foundation of their innings.
Zadran and Atal scored 65 and 64, respectively, but no other batter reached single digits in an innings that was nearly exclusively supported by that one pillar. Pakistan needed 170 to win in wet, foggy conditions, and their bowlers may have thought they had done enough because Saim Ayub’s economical performance and Faheem Ashraf’s spectacular one kept Afghanistan on a leash.
However, the dew proved to be a ridiculously insignificant obstacle for the Afghan spinners. They were set up by Fazalhaq Farooqi, who soon afterward replaced Ayub with a golden duck and a misfiring Sahibzada Farhan.
Only the window was there. Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, and Noor Ahmad had to run wild in the centre. No batter from Pakistan was ever able to figure out how to target Rashid without taking a lot of chances or which way Noor turned the ball.
Together, the three claimed six wickets as Pakistan fell to 111 for 9 after losing 7 for 49. They were on the verge of a humiliating loss at the time, but Haris Rauf’s brisk little cameo turned the scoreboard around with an undefeated 34 off 16 that sent Pakistan over 150 and gave the impression that the match was more competitive than Afghanistan’s brilliant spin attack had made it.