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'Abey pehle AFG se jeetna sikho India ke khabe baad me dekhna' - Fans troll Pakistan as Afghanistan wins first-ever series against them

Afghanistan beat Pakistan in the second T20I at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to clinch their first-ever series win.

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Akshay
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AFG vs PAK

AFG vs PAK (Image credit: Twitter)

AFG vs PAK AFG vs PAK (Image credit: Twitter)

It was an incredible scene at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium as Afghanistan thrashed Pakistan once again in the second T20I by seven wickets to clinch their first-ever series win over their rivals. Two days ago, the Afghans beat the Pakistanis for the first time in any format of the game, and now they have taken the three-match series on Sunday, March 26, thanks to their spirited bowling display.

Pakistan played with four debutants – Saim Ayub, Tayyab Tahir, Ihsanullah and Zaman Khan – as they rested a few main players, including captain Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan. The Shadab Khan-led team won the toss and opted to bat first, but nothing went right for Pakistan's new batting line-up on a sluggish pitch. Fazalhaq Farooqi stunned the Green Army with back-to-back wickets in the very first over.

Five wickets down for 63 runs after 11 overs, Pakistan looked set to post an embarrassing total. However, all-rounders Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan played brilliantly, scoring 45 runs in the last five overs to take Pakistan to 130. The duo led a good recovery as the Afghan bowlers completely dominated in the first half. Naveen-ul-Haq, Rashid Khan and Karim Janat took one wicket each.

Najibullah and Nabi held their nerve to record a historic victory

Defending a below-par total of 131, Pakistan bowlers made it difficult for their opponents as they took the match to the second last ball of the 20th over. However, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi held their nerve and crossed the finish line with seven wickets and one ball to spare. Earlier, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (44 off 49) and Ibrahim Zadran (38 off 40) put the foundation on top after losing one of their openers, Usman Ghani (7 off 9).

Gurbaz and Ibrahim put on a 56-run partnership for the second wicket, but it came off 69 balls and raised the required run rate. Just when things got tight, the two departed and the onus was on Nabi and Najibullah, who finished things off cleanly to register a historic win for their team. The former Afghanistan captain remained unbeaten on 14 off 9 balls, while Najibullah who hit the winning runs, remained not out on 23 off 12 balls.

Here's how fans reacted to Afghanistan's stunning victory: 

 

Afghanistan Featured Pakistan