Pakistan and Afghanistan’s longstanding rivalry is sure to make for thrilling cricket when these two sides clash, so this semi-final should prove no exception.
Gulbadin Naib bowled a short ball that Rahmat Shah pulled hard towards midwicket for a boundary, taking their score to 288 in just 92 balls. Here we will discuss the main points of Pakistan National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard.
Pakistan vs Afghanistan
On 7 October, the winner of this semi-final will face India in a final to crown Asia’s champion. Afghanistan surprised both England and Pakistan by stunning them both during their initial match at Pingfeng Campus Cricket Field in Hangzhou in order to reach this stage of qualifying and earn themselves a spot in this showpiece event.
Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first against Afghanistan’s spin-heavy attack, electing to reach 56-0 after powerplay before losing momentum in middle overs. Azam made 74 off 92 balls en route to not out status but Pakistan collapsed quickly to 278-7 after Afghanistan spinners struck with teenager Noor Ahmad (3-49) taking key wickets of Karim Janat, Abdullah Shafique, and Mohammad Rizwan.
As such, the match looked to end in a draw until Afghanistan’s batsmen produced an inspired chase on the final ball of their innings. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65) and Ibrahim Zadran shared an outstanding 130-run partnership before being separated by Shaheen Afridi quickly thereafter.
Afghanistan struggled after Gurbaz fell, yet Zadran and Rahmat Shah managed to help keep them within striking distance of 300 runs. Afghanistan captain Hamid Hashmatullah Shahidi hit four sixes against Shaheen Afridi and Iftikhar Ahmed’s bowling, for an incredible ninth-wicket stand of 115 runs with their captain Hamid Hashmatullah Shahidi at bat number nine.
Shahidi fell to Mukesh Motie in the 17th over, but Gulbadin Naib kept them on top with some heroic batsmanship from Gulbadin Naib who hit an off-break six to speed them towards victory and take down Pakistan on their home ground for their maiden One-Day International win – their inaugural.
Afghans celebrated with joy as the team’s captain applauded his teammates and staff before walking off to thank his fans – thousands filled the stadium for its final of Asia Cup 2018. Many more spectators watched from home on mobile phones, televisions in restaurants and public parks; spectators wearing bright green and red clothing representing Afghanistan wore them while the match ended with an exciting nail-biting finish, creating a massive roar from within the crowd as its dramatic finish came into view. This match marked an impressive conclusion to a remarkable year for Afghanistan, which will face India again for the Gold-medal match on Wednesday. Afghanistan recorded their maiden World Cup win just days after upsetting defending champion England 3-2! Afghanistan notched their highest-ever One Day International score ever! An astonishing feat considering Afghanistan were one of the lowest-ranked teams before entering this tournament. Their victory was an enormous boost for the tournament and raised hopes of reconciliation between Afghanistan and Pakistan, two countries who have seen their relations become strained since Taliban took power in Kabul; since then there has been war, terrorist attacks, as well as allegations from Afghanistan that Pakistan supported insurgencies supporting Taliban extremists or plotted against its soil.
Afghanistan vs Pakistan
Pakistan national cricket team represents the Islamic Republic of Pakistan on an international cricketing stage. A full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC), it competes in Test, One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 International matches across Test series, ODI series and Twenty20 matches. They have won two World Cups: in 1992 and 1999 respectively and finished as runners-up at 2007 World Cup tournament. Co-hosting this competition between 1987-1996 added to its prestige.
The ICC Champions Trophy is an international men’s limited-overs cricket tournament hosted every two years by the International Cricket Council (ICC). The competition features winners of each of four ODI regional championships competing, with top two teams from each group facing off against one another in an elimination knockout tournament to determine who becomes defending champion for future editions of this competition.
Pakistan, once an unparalleled power in cricketing for decades, was dealt a severe blow when Bangladesh defeated them 2-0 at home Test series in two consecutive Test matches. This result was no mere fluke; rather it is evidence that their cricket team has been struggling of late.
Afghanistan demonstrated that they are a team to be reckoned with and will definitely come back stronger and fight harder in future matches. Furthermore, their ODI presence is now formidable as players will look forward to new challenges presented by future games.
Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to bat first, which allowed Afghan batters to take full advantage of a good pitch by creating long partnerships that ultimately resulted in a competitive total. Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam both hit half centuries, creating a considerable challenge for Pakistan bowlers; pacers couldn’t quite match their impressive showing from last time but did manage a few wickets at the death.
The game saw both teams trade leads back and forth throughout, yet neither could hold onto their advantage for long. Pakistan bowler Shaheen Afridi stood out, as did Naseem Shah; eventually however, their efforts saw them cross the finish line successfully.
Imran Khan praised the performance and win of his team and thanked Afghanistan for an entertaining match; he thanked them as well, noting they will learn from this experience and commented that both teams could build stronger relations as a result of it. After the match concluded, Imran Khan appealed to people to donate for victims of Herat earthquakes; several villages had been destroyed while many lives have been lost as a result of these disasters; thus giving Pakistan cricket team donated generous sum to help those impacted in these hard times; team players had donated an impressive sum and donated generous sum as they believed this gesture will provide much-needed comfort.