Afghanistan looked to take the game away from Pakistan after setting a total of 147/6 and restricting their scoring for much of the reply. But Asif changed the dynamics with four big sixes as Pakistan secured their third successive win with six balls remaining.
His heroics were needed as, although skipper Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman made 51 and 30, respectively, the rest of Pakistan’s batters had struggled to find a rhythm. Mohammad Rizwan departed for eight while Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik scored just 10 and 19.
Batting first, Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib made 35 not out each and Najibullah Zadran added 22 as Afghanistan recovered from the early jolts given by Pakistan.
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