Afghanistan Sends Warning to Pakistan with 18-Run Win Ahead of Asia Cup 2025
Afghanistan gave Pakistan a big warning ahead of the Asia Cup by winning a tense, low-scoring match at Sharjah on August 2 by 18 runs. What looked like a small total from Afghanistan turned into a strong performance, thanks to some brilliant bowling from their spinners.
After winning the toss, Afghanistan chose to bat first but got off to a shaky start. Losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz early made it look like they might struggle and Pakistan’s Faheem Ashraf looked dangerous with his four wickets (4/27). But in the end, Afghanistan’s spinners took charge and helped their team snatch an important win.
Sediqullah Atal and Ibrahim Zadran put together an important 113-run partnership that helped Afghanistan recover from a shaky start. After that, most of the other batsmen didn’t score much, adding only single-digit runs, but Afghanistan still managed a total of 169 in 20 overs, enough to defend. Ibrahim Zadran shone with 65 runs off 45 balls and was named Man of the Match for holding the innings together under pressure.
Afghanistan Spin Trio Dominates Middle Overs
Chasing 170, Pakistan looked in control at first but were quickly shaken by Fazalhaq Farooqi’s fast bowling. He sent Saim Ayub back for a golden duck in the second over and got opener Sahibzada Farhan out in the fourth. Then Afghanistan’s spin trio – Rashid Khan, Mohammed Nabi and Noor Ahmed – took charge. Rashid became the highest wicket-taker in T20Is with his 2/30 bringing his total to 167 wickets. Along with Nabi (2/20) and Noor Ahmed (2/20), they kept Pakistan’s middle order under control making it impossible for any batter to build a partnership.
Captain Salman Ali Agha and Fakhar Zaman tried to fight back in the middle, but Agha was caught off a sharp turn from Nabi, and the captain himself got run out cheaply. The lower order, including Mohammad Haris, couldn’t save the chase, with wickets falling regularly. Pakistan finished at 151/9, losing by 18 runs. The win gives Afghanistan a big confidence boost ahead of the Asia Cup and shows their steady improvement in T20 cricket. For Pakistan, the loss highlights areas they need to fix before the tournament, which starts against Oman on September 12.
