Pakistan eliminated Afghanistan from the Asia Cup 2022 after Afghanistan lost their Super 4 match by a wicket on Wednesday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. Shadab Khan’s innings of 36 runs off 26 balls helped Pakistan reach 131 for nine in 19.2 overs while chasing a target of 130 runs. A exciting finale to the game saw Naseem Shah (14*) strike back-to-back sixes against Fazalhaq Farooqi to advance Pakistan into the championship game versus Sri Lanka. The Afghan cricketers were seen crying on the field after the game as they voiced their disappointment.
Fans on social media responded favourably to the video and offered the Afghanistan team their support. Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad, two of the Afghan bowlers, were in excellent form, each collecting three wickets. Rashid Khan received two firings in the meantime. Initially, Haris Rauf took two wickets for Pakistan while Ibrahim Zadran scored 35 runs off 37 balls to enable Afghanistan get 129 for six in 20 overs.
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After the match, Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, who was dismissed for a golden duck, felt his team ‘didn’t hold their nerves’. “Yes the bowling and the fielding was brilliant, but we didn’t finish well and we didn’t hold our nerves. We didn’t leave the game at any stage. The boys fought on every ball. Again, it was the end, both with the bat and with the ball. We thought that we chased well against Bangladesh. We knew it would be tough chasing 130 here, and that’s why we looked to bowl dot balls. We didn’t give easy singles”, he said.
“The plan on the last two deliveries was to bowl slower bouncers or bowl yorkers, but he (Farooqi) didn’t execute his plans. We will try our best to play the last game with the same energy. We have a game tomorrow now. Thanks for the support, it was lovely from the fans here”, he further added.