Rashid hails maiden t20 series win against pakistan

Afghanistan showcased another impressive run-chase to beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second mat ch wit h one ball remaining and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in t he three-match series

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan hailed the team’s maiden T20 series victory against Pakistan but said their front-line batters need to improve ahead of the 50-overs World Cup in India later this year.

Rashid and his team mates humbled a new-look Pakistan by six wickets in the open in gt 20 international in Sharjah on Friday.

They restricted the young Pakistan side, led by Shadab Khan, to 92-9 and chased down the target with 13 balls to spare with Mohammad Nabi making an unbeaten 38 in the low-scoring contest to go with his two wickets with the ball.

Afghanistan showcased another impressive run-chase to beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the second match with one ball remaining and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series on Sunday.

It is the first time that Afghanistan has won a series against a top-six ranked ICC team.

“It’s a pleasure to win as we’ve always lost against them, sometimes with small margins,” Rashid said ater the victory in the second match.

“Happy for the win, and we hope to continue the momentum.”

It was not an easy chase though as Afghanistan slumped to 27-3 before Nabi rescued them.

Rashid said their top order needed to perform beter in the ongoing three-match series and maintain that form heading into the ODI World Cup in October-november.

“We need to improve not just for this series but as we get to the World Cup,” Rashid said.

“From now on, we need to put effort day by day and game by game, so that by the end of the year, when we go for the World Cup, we’ll have a fully prepared squad.”

Shadab reflects on ABSENCE of Star duo: Stand-in Pakistan captain Shadab believes plenty of positives will come from his side’s series loss to Afghanistan and the consistent efforts of experienced absentees Babar Azam and Rizwan will be further appreciated when the star duo return to the national setup.

Babar and Rizwan were rested for the ongoing three-game series against Afghanistan in Sharjah as a host of players with less experience and fewer credentials were given the chance to shine in the absence of the ultra-reliable top-order pair.

“People criticise Babar and Rizwan regardless of whether they perform or not. There is always a sword hanging over them of strike rate. As a nation, we wanted youngsters to come in international cricket, as they were performing in PSL (Pakistan Super League), so we thought they would play with a beter strike rate,” Shadab was quoted as saying by ICC.

“But finally, our nation will realise that experience maters and our seniors didn’t get the respect they deserved considering their performances. So ater this series, they will get a lot more respect from media and the nation.”

Pakistan lost three wickets inside the first four overs of Sunday’s clash and were always on the backfoot as they mustered a modest total of 130/6 from their 20 overs. Afghanistan chased down that victory target with a solitary delivery remaining, leaving Shadab to ponder what may have been if his side had been able to post a slightly larger total.

“When you lose three wickets in powerplay, you lose 70 per cent of the games, the young players were nervous,” Shadab said.

“They are playing for the first time for Pakistan, but we have to back them.

“Our motive for this series was to check out talented young players and we have to back them in the future. “It’s a great honor and pleasure to lead this wonderful team,” Afghanistan captain said. “Great effort with the ball, and then we took it deep and finished it … We have players to finish it like Nabi and Najib.”

Fazalhaq Farooqi was the standout performer with the ball, finishing with impressive figures of 2/19 in his four overs and was also adjudged Player of the Match. Chasing 131, Afghanistan got off to a steady start thanks to the 56-run partnership between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran for the second wicket.