Rauf Shines as Pakistan Defeat Afghanistan in Sharjah

SHARJAH – Pakistan started their tri-series campaign with a strong performance, defeating Afghanistan by 39 runs in the first match on Friday.

Chasing a target of 183 runs, Afghanistan were bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs. Captain Rashid Khan top-scored with 39 runs, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz contributed 38.

For Pakistan, Haris Rauf was the star bowler, taking 4 wickets for 31 runs. Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, and Sufiyan Muqeem claimed two wickets each.

Earlier, Pakistan batted first and posted 182 for 7 in their 20 overs. Captain Salman Ali Agha led the innings with a brilliant 53 off 36 balls. Sahibzada Farhan and Mohammad Nawaz added 21 runs each, while Fakhar Zaman scored 20. Mohammad Haris (15), Saim Ayub (14), and Hasan Nawaz (9) also chipped in.

For Afghanistan, Fareed Malik picked up 2 wickets, while Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, and Azmatullah took one wicket apiece.

After winning the toss, Salman Ali Agha elected to bat first against Rashid Khan’s Afghanistan XI.

Pakistan’s playing XI included Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Sufiyan Muqeem.