Pakistan won the match by 75 runs.
The final of the T20I Tri-series in the UAE is underway between Pakistan and Afghanistan. Just when things started to fall in place for the Afghans, Mohammad Nawaz unleashed carnage in Sharjah with a jaw-dropping hat-trick. He dismissed Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai on the last two balls of the sixth over. Opening the eighth over, Nawaz also took out Ibrahim Zadran. He became the first spinner from his nation to take a hat-trick in the format. The all-rounder went on to complete a five-wicket haul and lead Pakistan to a win.
Batting first, Pakistan put up a paltry score of 141/8. Fakhar Zaman was the top scorer with just 27 runs. Rashid Khan had spun the web once again, taking a three-fer.
In the second innings, Afghanistan were out of control as they lost Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over. Sediqullah Atal was also on his way back after making just 13 off 15.
This is when Nawaz stepped up. Bowling his first over of the day, the 31-year-old gave away just a single in the first four deliveries. On 5.5 and 5.6 overs, Nawaz plumbed Darwish Rasooli for a duck. Next ball, Omarzai was caught behind by Mohammad Haris. Ibrahim Zadran, who was settling down and had made a 15-ball nine, was out of the crease enough for the gloveman to do this job on 7.1 overs.
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At this point, Nawaz’s figures read 1.1-0-1-3, and Afghanistan had lost half their side for 32 runs. In the same over, he dismissed Karim Janat too.
At the time of writing this report, the scoreboard reads 55/8. Nawaz has already completed a five-wicket haul with Rashid Khan’s wicket, while Afghanistan need 87 runs in 46 balls.
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Nawaz bagged the Man of the Match award as Pakistan went on to win the Tri-series final by 75 runs.
In March 2025, Pakistan won one out of the five T20Is in New Zealand. They then whitewashed Bangladesh 3-0 at home, but lost the away series 1-2. Hosted in the USA in July, Pakistan beat the West Indies 2-1. By emerging victorious in the UAE Tri-series, Pakistan would be high on confidence.
Overall, Salman Agha & Co. have enjoyed a good run of form as a team, especially in the absence of veterans Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan. They appear as a strong side to win at least two out of three games in the Asia Cup’s league stage.
The Men in Green are in Group A for the multi-nation tournament, with India, Oman, and the hosts UAE. The top two finishers from this table will proceed to play the Super Fours and eventually, the summit clash. Pakistan’s campaign will begin on September 12 against Oman. They will face arch-rivals India on September 14, and their last league-stage match is against the UAE on September 17.
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