In Sharjah, Pakistan won the opening T20 match of the tri-nation series by 39 runs, after bowling out Afghanistan for 143 runs while chasing a target of 183.
Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Pakistan posted 182 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the allotted 20 overs.
Captain Salman Ali Agha played a match-winning knock, remaining unbeaten on 53 runs with the help of 3 sixes and 3 fours.
Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Nawaz scored 21 runs each, Fakhar Zaman made 20, Mohammad Haris 15, Faheem Ashraf 14, Saim Ayub 14, and Hassan Nawaz 9 before returning to the pavilion.
For Afghanistan, Fareed Ahmad picked up 2 wickets, while Mujeeb ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, captain Rashid Khan, and Azmatullah Omarzai claimed one wicket each.
Pakistan’s playing XI consisted of captain Salman Ali Agha, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Hassan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Sufyan Muqeem.
Afghanistan’s lineup included Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sadiqullah, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and Fareed Ahmad.
The third team in the series is the United Arab Emirates, who will face Pakistan tomorrow.
