Twitter Reactions: Clinical Afghanistan secure first-ever victory against Pakistan in T20Is, script history
Mohammad Nabi was adjudged Player of the Match for his unbeaten run-a-ball 38 coupled with 2/12 in the first innings.
Afghanistan scripted history as they emerged victorious by six wickets against Pakistan, winning their first-ever T20I against the opponents. The two sides took the field on Friday, March 24 for the first of the three-match T20I series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Notably, the Men in Green were without their senior players Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf among others. Upon winning the toss, Pakistan opted to bat first and were restricted to a paltry 92 runs in their stipulated 20 overs of the contest.
On a surface which proved to be tricky for the batters, a disciplined Afghan bowling unit came all guns blazing and struck the vital breakthroughs. Shadab Khan and Co. kept frittering wickets at regular intervals as the side lost their top-order in just six overs of the clash for 39 runs.
With little to no respite for the Men in Green, Afghanistan bowlers continued to stamp their authority as spin sensation Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck twice to dent the middle-order. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Mohammad Nabi too got two wickets each as Pakistan concluded the innings with 92 runs on board for the loss of nine wickets.
Nabi-Najibullah partnership rescues Afghanistan’s chase
It is worth noting that with the meagre score in place, team Pakistan posted their fifth lowest total in T20Is. Speaking about the chase, Pakistan too made hay as they used the pitch conditions to their advantage to stay well in the contest.
Young pace sensation Ihsanullah drew first blood as he got the vital scalp of Ibrahim Zadran for a score of nine and followed it with a second wicket of Gulbadin Naib within the next two balls. While the chase became seemingly tough in the given conditions, Naseem Shah and Imad Wasim further dented Afghanistan's batting line-up as the duo picked up one wicket apiece.
Just when Afghanistan seemed to be struggling, former skipper Nabi and Najibullah Zadran showed nerves of steel to guide the side to a potential win. The duo hoicked the ball at regular intervals just to keep the run rate steady and revived the chase with an unbeaten 53-run partnership.
History beckoned as a cool lofted shot by Nabi cleared the ropes to hand Afghanistan their first win in the T20Is. Rashid Khan and Co. stood on top, beating Pakistan by six wickets with 13 balls to spare. Nabi was adjudged Player of the Match for his 38*(38) coupled with 2/12 in the first innings.
Here is how Twitter reacted to Afghanistan's historic win-
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