Pakistan vs Afghanistan Highlights, Asia Cup 2022: Naseem’s back-to-back sixes helps PAK beat AFG, into final vs SL

Another full toss by Farooqi and Naseem clobbers it over long off with such aplomb and style! SIX! HE SPRINTS AWAY TO CELEBRATE AND OPENS HIS HELMET! HIS TEAMMATES RUN TO JOIN HIM!

Pakistan: 131/9 (19.2)

TARGET: 130

PAKISTAN WIN BY 1 WICKET.

PAKISTAN JOIN SRI LANKA IN THE FINALS!

A low full toss by Farooqi and Naseem hammers it over long off for a six!

A slow bouncer by Fareed and Asd tries to hook but top edges it to short fine leg for a catch!

IS THIS IT?

Asif c Karim b Fareed 16 (8)

A half volley by Fareed and Asif launches it over cow corner for a much-needed six!

OUT! WHAT IS GOING ON HERE! UNBELIEVABLE SCENES!

A wide delivery by Fareed, outside off. Rauf gets a thick inside edge on to the stumps. Afghanistan are spoiling Pakistan’s party!

Rauf b Fareed 0 (1)

Pakistan need 21 off 12 balls!

In the final delivery of the 18th over, Farooqi strikes again!

A full delivery by Farooqi, angling in. Khushdil drags it back to the stumps!

Khushdil b Farooqi 1 (3)

WHAT AN OVER!

Pakistan: 109/7 (18)

Pakistan need 21 from 12 balls!

A slow delivery by Farooqi, offcutter, on off. Nawaz gets hit in front of off on the backfoot!

Pakistan review but its a clear lbw!

BRILLIANT DELIVERY!

Nawaz lbw b Farooqi 4 (5)

In the slot by Rashid and Asif slog sweeps it over deep midwicket for a six!

Rashid tosses it up, outside off. Shadab tris to hammer it, but gets a thick outside edge to short third man for a catch!

HUGE WICKET!

Shadab c Azmatullah b Rashid 36 (26)

A poor length delivery by Rashid and Shadab uses it to his advantage. He slog sweeps it over square leg for a six!

Nawaz outside edges this delivery by Fareed and it goes past the wicketkeeper for a four!

Shadab also seems to have sustained an injury but will continue!

A short delivery by Fareed and Iftikhar pulls it straight to deep midwicket for a catch!

Iftikhar c Zadran b Fareed 30 (33)

A slow bouncer by Fareed, wide outside off. Iftikhar cuts it in front of point for a single.

Pakistan need 48 from 36 balls.

Pakistan: 82/3 (14)

Target: 130

Mujeeb sends it in the slot and Shadab clears his front foot to loft it over long on with ease for a big six!

A poor delivery by Nabi and Shadab smacks this low full toss over midwicket for a four!

Back of a length delivery by Nabi and Shadab slog sweeps it over cow corner for a six! TAKES AWAY PRESSURE FROM PAKISTAN!

A length delivery by Azmatullah, on off. Shadab puts it through the covers for a single.

A full delivery by Rashid, around off. Shadab directs it to long-on for a single.

Pakistan need 82 runs from 66 balls.

Pakistan: 48/3 (9)

Target: 130

A googly by Rashid, outside off. Rizwan goes on the back foot and misses it. He is struck in front of middle. The umpire says its lbw but Rizwan reviews it. Ball-tracking shows that no bat is involved and it was hitting the leg stump.

IMPORTANT WICKET FOR AFGHANISTAN!

Rizwan lbw b Rashid 20 (26)

A googly by Mujeeb, around off. Rizwan directs it towards square leg for a single.

A short length delivery by Fareed, around off. Iftikhar pulls it through midwicket for a four!

Pakistan: 32/2 (5)

Target – 130

A length delivery by Fareed, outside off. Iftikhar gets an inside edge past the stumps for a four!

A full length delivery by Mujeeb, around off. Zaman directs it towards extra cover and goes for a single. Najibullah is there, running in and goes low for a direct hit at the bowler’s end. Zaman falls short!

Zaman run out Najibullah 5 (9)

ALARM BELLS FOR PAKISTAN!

A length delivery by Farooqi, on the stumps. Rizwan gets Pakistan’s first six of the innings, smashing it over long leg with much aplomb!

A full delivery by Mujeeb, on the stumps. Rizwan glances it towards square leg for a single.

A full delivery by Farooqi and Zaman outside edges it to the left of first slip for a four!

BIG ONE FOR AFGHANISTAN! GOLDEN DUCK!

A length delivery by Faroowi, around middle. It beats Babar’s inside edge and strikes him on the front pad. LBW!

Babar lbw b Farooqi 0 (1)

It seems like it is captain’s bad luck with Nabi also departing for a golden duck earlier!

Rizwan and Babar to open for Pakistan in their chase. Farooqi to bowl for Afghanistan.

Target for Pakistan: 130

A short delivery by Rauf and Rashid tries to go big but misses it!

That’s it for Afghanistan, they need to stage a comeback while bowling!

Afghanistan: 129/6 (20)

Target for Pakistan: 130

A length delivery by Rauf and Rashid hammers it straight down the ground for a four!

A length delivery by Rauf and its a quicker one. Rashid uppercuts it over sweeper cover for a cracking six!

Naseem sends a low full toss and Azmatullah slams it past point for a four!

A length delivery by Hasnain, outside off. Azmatullah bottom edges it to third man for a single.

After 18 overs, Afghanistan: 113/6

A length delivery by Hasnain and Rashid goes for it early and hammers it over midwicket for a four!

Back of a length delivery by Rauf and Zadran gets taken aback by the extra bounce. He thick edges it to Rizwan for a catch!

Zadran c Rizwan b Rauf 35 (37)

Shadab tosses up a legbreak delivery, outside off. Zadran goes down on one knee and clatters it with much aplomb over the covers for a six!

AFGHANISTAN GO 100-UP!

Afghanistan: 101/5 (15.3)

Back of a length delivery by Naseeem, Zadran guides it to long-on for a single.

A length delivery by Naseem and Nabi fails to connect. It smashes the base of the stumps, off the inside edge!

BIG ONE! GETS THE AFGHAN CAPTAIN FOR A GOLDEN DUCK!

Nabi b Naseem 0 (1)

A quicker delivery by Shadab, seam up and Zadran fails to get the distance. He launches it to Fakhar in the deep for a catch!

Zadran c Fakhar b Shadab 10 (11)

A poor delivery by Shadab and Zadran launches it over the fielder in deep midwicket for a massive six!

A good delivery by Nawaz and Karim tries to play against the spin. But he ends up toe-edging it to Fakar at long-on for a catch!

Karim c Zaman b Nawaz 15 (19)

A length delivery by Rauf and Zadran hammers it over the covers for a four! TOP SHOT!

A full delivery by Nawaz, on the stumps. Karim dissects it between long-on and deep mid-wicket for a four!

A short length delivery by Shadab, outside off. Karim pulls it towards deep midwicket for a single.

After nine overs, Afghanistan: 64/2

A length delivery by Nawaz, outside off. Zadran cuts it to the right of short third for a four!

A tossed up delivery by Nawaz, on off. Zadran gets it past Rauf at mid-off, who is ball-watching. He fumbles and takes his time to try a direct hit. One run.

After six overs, Afghanistan: 48/2

A length delivery by Hasnain and around off, middle. Zazai fails to hit it well, ends up trying to direct it towards short midwicket, but it finds the gap between bat and pad.

Hits the leg stump!

Zazai b Hasnain 21 (17)

In walks, Karim.

A length delivery by Hasnain and Zazai hammers it wide of short fine leg for a four!

THE BIG ONE FOR RAUF!

A length delivery and around off. Gurbaz fails to connect and it smashes into the off stump!

Gurbaz b Rauf 17 (11)

In walks, Zadran.

A length delivery by Rauf, outside off. Zazai smacks it through covers for a four!

A good length delivery by Naseem and Zazai carves it between backward point and short third for a four!

A full delivery by Hasnain, on off. Gurbaz manages to glance it over the leaping fielder at deep square leg. Just goes over him and Gurbaz sighs in relief!

After 2 overs, Afghanistan: 20/0

A short delivery by Hasnain, on the stumps. Gurbaz swivel-pulls it to deep backward square leg boundary for a smashing six!

A full delivery by Naseem, outside off. Gurbaz drives it wide of mid-off. Babar chases it and pulls it back to save a run. Three runs!

A good length delivery by Naseem and Zazai gets beaten on the outside edge! Pakistan think to review but don’t at the end! RIGHT FROM THE START!

Zazai and Gurbaz to open for Afghanistan. Naseem to bowl for Pakistan.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi

After toss, Nabi said, “No we would have bowled first. There will be dew later on, humidity is too much and the ball does not grip towards the end, it is all part of the game. But we will try and put a big score on the board. It is always a tough game against Pakistan.”

After the toss, Babar said, “We are going to bowl first. The pitch looks like nice and the second thing is dew factor, that’s why we are bowling first. Hopefully we pick early wickets and restrict them. The mood is cool and calm, and we will try to continue that momentum. A win always gives you confidence. We have the same team.”

Babar Azam has won the toss! Pakistan to bowl vs Afghanistan!

Toss is coming and is set for 7:00 PM IST.

A win for Pakistan will mean a berth in the final for Babar Azam’s side. Sri Lanka have already the final, having beaten India in their previous Super 4 fixture. With two defeats in the Super 4 stage, India will be banking on Afghanistan to win. A win for Afghanistan will make the race for the other spot in the final extra intense and will put Nabi’s side, Pakistan and India in contention.

Afghanistan bowling coach Umar Gul, who is also a former Pakistan cricketer, said in the pre-match press conference, “Babar and Rizwan are world-class players. Definitely, we have planned against them as professionals as we do for the other teams. So obviously, we are hoping that our players can execute those plannings against them.”

Having won all their group stage fixtures, Afghanistan were given a reality check by Sri Lanka in their Super 4 opener. A knock of 84 runs off 45 balls by Gurbaz helped Afghanistan post 175 for six in 20 overs, with Madushanka taking two wickets for Sri Lanka. Chasing a target of 176 runs, Sri Lanka reached 179 for six in 19.1 overs, despite two-wicket hauls by Mujeeb and Naveen.

Pakistan defeated India by five wickets on Sunday in their Super 4 opener. Chasing a target of 182 runs, Pakistan reached 182 for five in 19.5 overs with Rizwan smacking 71 runs off 51 balls. A two-wicket haul by Shadab initially helped Pakistan restrict India to 181 for seven in 20 overs.

According to cricketpakistan.com.pk, Rizwan’s progress has been monitored and he will feature against Afghanistan, as revealed by a PCB source.

Rizwan sustained a strain in his right leg during the win vs India and went a precautionary MRI scan. It is not yet known if he will miss the match, considering his importance to Babar’s tactical plans.

Rizwan has become the number-one ranked T20I batter for the first time in his career, removing Babar from top spot. Rizwan has been in fine form in the ongoing Asia Cup and hammered 71 runs in the Super 4 win vs India.

In T20Is, both sides have met only twice, with Pakistan winning both games in 2013 and 2021.

Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan(w), Babar Azam(c), Fakhar Zaman, Khushdil Shah, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Usman Qadir, Haider Ali, Hasan Ali, Shahnawaz Dahani

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz(w), Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Samiullah Shinwari, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Usman Ghani, Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad

Hello and good evening everyone! Welcome to our live coverage of today’s crunch Asia Cup 2022 Super 4 clash between Pakistan and Afghanistan, straight from the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. Toss is expected to be at 7:00 PM IST, with play to begin at 7:30 PM IST.

Stay tuned for some exciting cricket folks!