Watch: Fareed Ahmad and Asif Ali engage in war of words during Pakistan - Afghanistan clash in Asia Cup 2022

Fareed Ahmad, Asif Ali (Image Source: Twitter)

Pakistan and Afghanistan locked horns on Wednesday. This was a high-pressure match and understandably so for both sides. It was all about Pakistan skipper Babar Azam who won the toss and elected to field first.

The Afghanistan batters left no stone unturned to try all they can but ended with a low score of 129/6. The Men in Green, despite losing wickets on one end, managed to inch closer to a victory. Post Shadab Khan’s departure, Asif Ali started playing a blitzkrieg innings.

With 21 required off the last two overs, Fareed Ahmad measured the run-up to bowl the penultimate over. In the fourth ball of the over, Ali managed to smack him for a six and arguably so, it pumped up Ahmad. The fiery pacer bounced back with a short ball and deceived Asif Ali.

But that was not it as both of them had a heated exchange when the batter was making his way back to the dressing room. It was a high-pressure match and fans understood that both players might have got carried away by the heat of the moment.

Here is the video:

Fareed Ahmed and Asif ali fight #AsiaCup2022 #Afghanistan #PAKvAFG #Fights #asifali #fareed pic.twitter.com/zYYR1Vub0X

— Manas Kumar Gaur (@ManasGaur108) September 7, 2022

Pakistan clinch a last-over thriller

The Men in Green bowler Naseem Shah produced a stellar display in the final over. With 12 required off the last over to reach the target of 130 and only one wicket on hand, Fazalhaq Farooqi braced to pick up a scalp.
Despite a fabulous penultimate over, Naseem Shah clinched the match for Pakistan as he smashed two sixes off the first two balls.

With this win, Sri Lanka and Pakistan have now qualified for the finals. On the other hand, Afghanistan and India are out of the Asia Cup tournament. The Men in Green now have a clear chance to win the title for the third time in history. Sri Lanka can inch closer to India's record if they win the title for the sixth time this year.

A disappointing run for the defending champions in this year's Asia Cup albeit a great start in the group stage.