Despite five of their top players being rested, Pakistan managed to put up a strong fight and scored 182-7 in their stipulated 20 overs. They then went on to bowl out Afghanistan for 116 with eight balls to spare.
Pakistan’s interim captain Shadab Khan and young fast bowler Ihsanullah were the heroes of the match, sharing six wickets between them. Shadab’s impressive performance of 3/13 made him the first Pakistani men’s player to reach 100 wickets in T20s. Meanwhile, Ihsanullah’s short-pitched deliveries earned him 3 for 29.
Shadab also made a significant contribution with the bat, scoring 28 runs off just 17 balls towards the end of Pakistan’s innings. However, Saim Ayub missed out on his first T20 half-century by just one run.
“It’s a special occasion to be part of this team,” said Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan in the post match presentation. “We won the series, but we have some areas to improve on. We responded well under pressure. We have struggled under pressure in the past but I’m happy that we chased in a couple of games.”
Despite their loss in the final match, Afghanistan’s achievement of winning their first match and series against Pakistan in any format was a historic moment. It was a remarkable effort, and the team can take pride in their overall performance.
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