The commentary is not available for this match. Please check the scorecard for latest updates.
Afghanistan will remember this day for the rest of their lives. Their first victory against Pakistan across formats. Now they have a bigger goal and that is to win the series. We will be back with the 2nd match on Sunday (26th March). Till the next time, it's goodbye and good night from myself, Arya Sekhar Chakraborty and my fellow commentator Karthik Raj. Cheers!!
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan captain): It’s a huge pleasure. Kosing all the games against them previously. Happy as a captain to lead this young team. Happy with the win and looking to continue the momentum. It’s a different feeling wearing Afghanistan jersey. So happy with the performance, personally as well. It means a lot to represent your country, especially against a big side. Sharjah tends to behave differently. The idea was to try and bowl in the right areas. It was a mindset of bowling first and see what’s a good score. To be honest, we have to improve in the top order. The focus is on the World Cup. We have the skills but it's about adjusting the conditions and playing the right shots at the right time. By the end of the year, hopefully, we will have a full prepared squad.
Shadab Khan (Pakistan captain): I think tactics wise we were fine. This series is all about youngsters. We have to back them and hopefully, they will show it in the next game. As a professional; you can't give excise. PSL were high-scoring games. In this game as well the batters thought this was a wicket in Pakistan. We have to get better. A lot of positives in bowling. Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan how they bowled. Imad’s comeback really good as well. We will try our best and give our 100 per cent and the result we will live on almighty.
Mohammad Nabi, Player of the Match: Congrats to everyone. It was a tough score to chase in these conditions. As a bowling group, we discussed to bowl them out under 100. As a batting group, we looked to take the responsibility and win the game. Most of our guys are playing in big leagues. A lot of the players came from the PSL and we had a 15-day camp here in the UAE too. Sometimes 38 runs is equivalent to a hundred in these conditions!
Mohammad Nabi has been named as the 'Player of the Match'
Time for the Post-match Presentation!
Rahmanullah Gurbaz: Exciting moment for us. Finally, we beat them. Pitch was not easy but the plan was simple from our coaches. They just asked us to watch the ball closely. Nabi is experienced. Everyone knows that we have a strong bowling side. The way we finished the game, Najib too. That was brilliant. Our momentum and confidence will increase after this. Hopefully, we can continue this!
Afghanistan won by 6 wickets (with 13 deliveries to spare)
Pakistan 92/9 in 20 overs
Imad Wasim 18 (32) | Saim Ayub 17(15) Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/9(4) | Mohammad Nabi 2/12(3)
Afghanistan 98/4 in 17.5 overs
Mohammad Nabi 38*(38) | Najibullah Zadran 17*(23) Ihsanullah 2/17(3.5) | Imad Wasim 1/11(4)
It didn’t turn out to be a straightforward run chase for Afghanistan but they eventually managed to script history, beating Pakistan in the opening T20I in Sharjah by 4 wickets to take a 1-0 lead in the 3-match series. This is also their first win over Pakistan across formats. The celebration will go into the night but they are aware of a more historic moment in store.
They have a chance to win a series against Pakistan and they will be pumped up to achieve the feat. The opening duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran started cautiously. Gurbaz found the boundary on a couple of occasions. The solid partnership was broken by Ihsanullah, the debutant who bounced out Ibrahim and Gulbadin Naib with fast back-of-a-length deliveries.
Gurbaz also followed suit and had to head back to the pavilion very soon but Mohammad Nabi ensured that he held one end up and batted with caution and eased the nerves. Karim Janat was castled by Imad Wasim at a crucial juncture but that was the final wicket of the match. The duo of Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi ensured that there was no more hiccups.
Nabi and Najibullah had a few close shaves against Imad Wasim but Azam Khan failed to grab the opportunity. Nabi stayed there out till the end, remaining unbeaten on 38 of as many deliveries. Najib also remained unbeaten on 17 to see his side through the finish line. Ihsanullah was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers, with a couple of scalps to his name.
This will feel very very special for Afghanistan and their fans. They will remember this night for a long long time. A commendable performance wit the ball and eventually they put had a significant score on the board to make a match out of it. They bowled well for the majority of the innings but a target of 93 was never going to be enough for Pakistan. A 6 wicket victory for the acting hosts as they take a 1-0 lead in the 3 match series.
17.5 Ihsanullah to Mohammad Nabi, THUMPED OVER THE FENCE! AFGHANISTAN REGISTER A WIN AGAINST PAKISTAN FOR THE FIRST TIME! Full and in the slot, Nabi stays back and tonks it over long-off for a maximum! What a moment for Afghanistan who register a win against Pakistan after several close misses! Superb composure from Nabi to take his side over the line!
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Sharjah Cricket Stadium
