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Half-centuries from Hashmatullah Shahidi and Asghar Afghan had taken Afghanistan to 257 against Pakistan in the Super Four match. The total looked above par gave the tough batting conditions and the difficulty in getting easy runs. Mohammad Nawaz was the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan as he took 3 wickets, supported well by Shaheen Afridi who took 2 wickets.
Shahidi’s 97 off 118 balls was a patient knock where he reached his highest ODI score and helped Asghar Afghan to score fast at the other end. Afghan scored 67 of 56 balls and gave impetus to the innings.
Pakistani fielding was below average as they dropped three catches Fakhar Zaman, Usman Khan, and Harris Sohail were the culprits. Pakistan started the run chase in poor fashion losing Fakhar for zero. But a 154 run stand between Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam brought them at a comfortable position in the run chase.
The middle overs were tensed as Pakistan lost wickets at regular intervals to Rashid Khan and Mujeer-ur-Rahman. Shoaib Malik’s last over heroics earned Pakistan a hard-fought victory. But Afghanistan had their head held high throughout the nail-biting game.
Here we take a look at what the captains, experts and fans had to say about this close encounter:
Asghar Afghan
Afghan congratulated the Pakistan team. He said the importance of the partnership between Babar Azam and Imam-ul-Haq gave Pakistan a good platform. He also heaped praise on Shoaib Malik for taking the opposition through and congratulated his own players to fight till the end.
Sarfraz Ahmed
The Pakistan captain also praised Imam-Ul-Haq and Babar Azam for knitting a good partnership which laid a good platform for the lower order. He also said that his team was shaken by a cluster of wickets after the second wicket fell. He also took the opportunity to acknowledge the fact that Afghanistan, as a team, is improving every day.
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Ayaz Memon
Ayaz spoke about the calm influence of Shoaib Malik over this Pakistan team. He also praised Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman for bringing Afghanistan so close to victory but their fast bowlers disappointed in the end.
Shahid Afridi
Former Pakistan captain Afridi was quick to point out the growth and maturity shown by the Afghanistan players in such a short span of time. He warned the cricketing fraternity to not take this Afghan team lightly in future tournaments.
Harsha Bhogle
Harsha blamed inexperience of Afghan bowlers to deal with pressure during the end overs. But he also praised the leap Afghanistan has taken in international cricket by today’s performance.
Pakistani fans hailed their hero Shoaib Malik on Twitter and conveyed that Malik’s presence on the crease gives them hope
Cricket fans also gave credit to Rashid Khan for performing so brilliantly and being the most valuable player of Afghanistan in all the matches.
The spirit showed by Shoaib Malik after the end when he hugged some Afghan players and wished them hard luck was also captured by some fans.
Some fans also reminded Pakistan that beating Afghanistan in a close match is not the yardstick in cricket for a big Cricketing nation like Pakistan
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