Pakistan won an important toss and came out all guns blazing to outplay Afghanistan in all facets of the game to win the contest by 75 runs and lift the crown. Pakistan were a determined lot to do well on the big night and although they were patchy with the bat, they made that up with the ball. Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pakistan made 141/8 with 3 batters getting 20s and not kicking on while Rashid Khan picked up 3 wickets and Noor Ahmad picked up 2 wickets alongside Fazalhaq Farooqi who also picked up a couple of wickets.
In the second innings, Afghanistan were rolled over for 66 in 15.5 overs with Mohammad Nawaz picking up 5 wickets for 19 runs in 4 overs. Sufiyan Muqeem and Abrar Ahmed too chipped in with a couple of wickets apiece as spinners accounted for 9 off the 10 wickets to fall for Afghanistan. This win will give Pakistan a lot of confidence going into Asia Cup 2025 and dent Afghanistan badly for sure.
Rashid Khan’s 3-wicket haul keeps Pakistan down to 141/8
Winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Sahibzada Farhan opened the batting with Saim Ayub. Fazalhaq Farooqi had ball in hand for Afghanistan. Farooqi struck early as he got rid of Farhan for a bronze duck. Farooqi bowled from over the wicket a good length in-swinger on the middle stump line. Farhan cleared his front leg and looked to slog across the line and connected with thin air. The ball missed the inside edge and smashed the middle stump. Fakhar Zaman came in next and got off the mark.
Azmatullah Omarzai came onto bowl next. Zaman hit him for a boundary over covers. There was a miscommunication amongst the batters, but no damage was done as the throw missed the keeper’s end. Ayub got into the act by hitting Farooqi for a boundary through covers. Allah Mohammed Ghazanfar came onto bowl next. He bowled a decent over.
Mohammad Nabi the veteran came to bowl next and was welcomed with a boundary from Ayub through deep midwicket. Zaman clubbed Nabi over deep midwicket for the maximum. The southpaw Zaman then hit Ghazanfar through midwicket region for a boundary. After 6 overs of powerplay, Pakistan were 41/1. Nabi continued after powerplay and bowled a decent over.
Noor Ahmad was introduced into the attack next. He struck immediately getting rid of Saim Ayub for 17 off 19 balls with 2 fours to his name. He tossed it up around the fourth stump line and turned away from the batter, Ayub leant forward and played for the googly. He chipped it uppishly away from his body to Rashid at short extra cover who takes it easily. Salman Ali Agha the captain came out to bat next and got off the mark straightaway.
Rashid Khan came into the attack next and struck getting rid of Fakhar Zaman for 27 off 26 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name. Rashid tossed it up around leg stump gripping and turning back in a shade. Fakhar leant forward and looked to work it away on the onside. He got beaten on the inside edge and wore it low on the front pad. The umpire raised his finger in a flash. Hasan Nawaz came out to bat next and got off the mark soon. He hit Rashid for a boundary through backward point.
Noor bowled a decent 10th over as Pakistan reached 61/3 in 10 overs at the halfway stage of the innings when the players paused for the Drinks Break. Nawaz welcomed back Rashid after the break with a maximum over deep midwicket. But Rashid struck back getting rid of Hasan Nawaz for 15 off 8 balls with one four and one six to his name. Rashid tossed it up full around the off-stump googly from the bowler. Hasan got down on one knee and went for the big slog sweep and he mistimed it up in the air. The fielder at long-off settled underneath it to take the catch.
Mohammad Haris came out to bat and got off the mark straightaway. Salman survived a run out scare at the striker’s end as the direct hit missed the stumps. Noor then got rid of Haris for 2 off 3 balls. Noor tossed it up full at the stumps which was a googly. Haris cleared his front leg and swung his bat across the line and played down the wrong line. He got beaten on the outside edge and the ball rattled the stumps.
Mohammad Nawaz came out to bat next for Pakistan and got off the mark as well. Rashid bowled a decent over. Mohammad Nabi returned and kept the scoring rate under check. Mohammad Nawaz broke the shackles as he launched Ghazanfar over deep midwicket for the maximum. Pakistan were 95/5 after 15 overs. Salman again survived a scare as the direct hit at the bowler’s end was missed by Nabi. Pakistan brought up their 100 in 16.1 overs. Salman then decided to take Rashid on and deposited him for 2 sixes in 3 balls. But Rashid hit back getting rid of Salman Ali Agha for 24 off 27 balls with 2 sixes to his innings.
He bowled it flatter around middle and leg stump a googly. Salman looked to whip it away on the leg side and got a top edge that ballooned up in the air. Ghazanfar at short third man settled underneath it to take the catch. Faheem Ashraf came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary straight down the ground off Rashid. Ashraf then hit Nabi for a boundary through backward point region. Nawaz survived a run out scare by making it in time.
Faheem then hit Ghazanfar over extra covers for the maximum but the bowler hit back getting rid of Ashraf for 15 off 8 balls with 2 fours and a maximum to his name. He bowled a length ball around the fifth stump line gripping and turning away a shade, Faheem looked to play the late cut and got a faint outside edge as Gurbaz took a good catch behind the stumps. Shaheen Afridi came out to bat next and survived a close run out chance.
Nawaz launched Farooqi down the ground for the maximum over the bowler’s head. Farooqi hit back getting rid of Nawaz for 25 off 21 balls with 2 sixes to his name. He bowled a slower ball on a length around the fifth stump, Nawaz went deep in his crease and swung his bat across the line. The mistimed shot went up in the air and taken at deep midwicket. Sufiyan Muqeem came to the crease next. At the end of 20 overs, Pakistan finished with 141/8 in 20 overs with Afridi and Muqeem unbeaten on 2 and 0 respectively. 14 extras given by the fielding side.
Rashid Khan went for a few runs in the end but picked up 3/38 in 4 overs. Noor Ahmad was excellent in his 2/17 in 4 overs. Allah Ghazanfar got a wicket in his 1/27 in 4 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled well for his 2/19 in 3 overs. Mohammad Nabi bowled decently for his 0/28 in 4 overs. Omarzai bowled an over for 5 runs. It meant Afghanistan needed 142 to win the final in 20 overs.
Mohammad Nawaz’s 5-wicket haul skittles Afghanistan out for 66
Chasing 142 for the win, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Sediqullah Atal walked out to bat for Afghanistan while Shaheen Afridi had ball in hand for Pakistan. Gurbaz started on a positive note as he flicked Afridi through square leg for a boundary. Afridi hit back a few balls later getting rid of Gurbaz for 5 off 4 balls. He bowled a back of a length delivery around the fifth stump line swinging across the batter, Gurbaz looked to steer it down towards third man and got a thick outside edge as Fakhar took a comfortable catch at first slip. Ibrahim Zadran came out to bat next.
Abrar Ahmed was given the ball from the other end. He bowled a decent over. Afridi continued and kept things under check. Saim Ayub came into the attack next. Atal broke the shackles by hitting Ayub through deep backward square leg for a boundary. Atal hit a boundary off Abrar as well but the bowler hit back getting rid of Atal for 13 off 15 balls with 2 fours to his name.
Abrar tossed it up full around fourth stump line, gripped and turned away. Atal drove it uppishly from the toe end of the bat to Ashraf at extra covers. Darwish Rasooli came out to bat next. Mohammad Nawaz came to bowl the final over of powerplay. He got rid of Rasooli for a duck. Nawaz tossed it up full around leg stump gripping and turning away from the batter. Rasooli played all over it and looked to work it away on the leg side and got beaten on the outside edge and was wrapped on the back pad right in front of the stumps. Azmatullah Omarzai came into bat next and fell first ball to Nawaz for a golden duck as Nawaz had two in two balls.
Nawaz bowled a back of a length delivery around the fifth stump line gripping and turning away. Omarzai looked to punch it away through the off-side and got a thick outside edge as Haris grabbed a sharp catch behind the stumps. Mohammad Nabi came out to bat next as Afghanistan after 6 overs of powerplay were reeling at 29/4. Ayub bowled a decent over after powerplay. Nawaz then completed the hat-trick getting rid of Ibrahim Zadran for 9 off 15 balls.
He bowled from around the wicket tossed up delivery full around off gripped and turned away from the batter. Ibrahim prod forward and looked to push at it away from the body and got beaten on the outside edge. Haris whipped off the bails in a flash and the TV umpire saw that the back leg was just outside his crease. Karim Janat came to the crease next. Nawaz was on a roll as he now removed Janat for a bronze duck.
He bowled the arm ball on a length around off-stump angling into the stumps. Janat shuffled across the stumps and looked to sweep and missed it on the inside edge and wore it on the front pad. Looked OUT and the finger eas raised. Captain Rashid Khan comes out to the crease next. Ayub bowled another decent over. Rashid broke the shackles a little bit by smashing Nawaz down the track for the maximum. At the end of 10 overs at the halfway stage of the chase, Afghanistan were struggling at 44/6 when players took the Drinks Break.
Abrar returned after the Break and got rid of Mohammad Nabi for 3 off 10 balls. Abrar bowled a short and wide ball outside off-stump, Nabi reached for it and cut it uppishly from the toe end of the bat to Salman Ali Agha at short extra cover who took a good catch. Noor Ahmad came to the crease and got off the mark as well. Sufiyan Muqeem was introduced into the attack. He bowled a decent first over. Nawaz returned and was hit for a maximum by Rashid over long-on. But Nawaz was not to be denied as he got rid of Rashid for 17 off 18 balls with 2 sixes to his name to complete his 5-wicket haul.
Nawaz bowled a tossed up delivery full and wide outside off-stump, Rashid threw his hands at it and looked to smash it over extra cover. But he mistimed it from the toe end of the bat and went straight up in the air. Salman settled underneath it at short extra cover. Haris called for it too and sprinted towards that position. Both players kept their eyes on the ball and collided but Salman managed to hold onto the catch. Allah Ghazanfar came out to bat next and got off the mark. Nawaz finished his excellent spell.
Muqeem got into the act getting rid of Noor for 3 off 6 balls. He bowled from around the wicket a googly on a length around the fourth stump line, Noor went for the wild slog across the line but sliced it straight up in the air. The fielder at backward point ran to his right and took a simple catch. Fazalhaq Farooqi came out to bat next and got off the mark. Ghazanfar launched Muqeem for the maximum over deep forward square leg. Abrar bowled a quiet over as Afghanistan were 65/9 in 15 overs.
Muqeem delivered the killer blow and won it for Pakistan as he picked up Ghazanfar for 7 off 7 balls with a maximum to his name. He bowled short of a length outside off a googly with width given. Ghazanfar slashed hard and cut it uppishly to the fielder at backward point who took the catch easily. Farooqi remained unbeaten on 2 off 11 balls as Afghanistan were bowled out for 66 in 15.5 overs. 7 extras given by the fielding side.
Mohammad Nawaz was the star with a five-wicket haul including a hat-trick as he finished with 5/19 in 4 overs. He was ably supported by Sufiyan Muqeem who chipped in with 2/9 in 3.5 overs alongside Abrar Ahmed as well who picked up 2/17 in 4 overs as spinners accounted for 9 off the 10 wickets to fall. Shaheen Afridi got a wicket and finished with 1/7 in 2 overs. Saim Ayub bowled 3 overs for 10 runs. So, Pakistan won by 75 runs and lifted the Tri-Series Trophy.
What Lies Ahead
Both teams will now head to Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan will play in Group A against Oman on 12th September while Afghanistan plays on Opening Night in Abu Dhabi against Hong Kong. So, a lot to look forward to for both teams as this was the ideal preparation for Asia Cup 2025 and we will wait and see how they perform in the continental event.
Also Read: UAE T20I Tri-Series 2025: Afghanistan Eke Out A Thrilling 4-Run Win Over UAE