Cricket Asia Cup
Asia Cup: Pakistan win thriller against Afghanistan to make the final
Pakistan made the final of the Asia Cup T20 after beating Afghanistan by one wicket in the Super 4 match in the UAE' Sharjah Wednesday.
Pakistan lost five wickets when they needed 42 runs. They lost four of them in the 18th and 19th overs while chasing a below-par total. In the last over, Pakistan needed 11 runs.
Naseem Shah hit two sixes off the first two balls of Fazalhaq Farooqi who picked up three wickets before the last over.
With Pakistan's win in today's match, Sri Lanka moved to the final after winning their first two Super 4 matches. India and Afghanistan, who lost their first two matches of the same phase, were eliminated from the race for the final.
In Wednesday's match, Pakistan won the toss and sent Afghanistan to bat first. Afghanistan were restricted to 129 for six in 20 overs.
Chasing 130, Pakistan lost their captain Babar Azam off the second ball of the innings. Fakhar Zaman also did not last long as he was run out in the fourth over.
Pakistan kept losing wickets and they were close to losing the match before two sixes of Naseem. However, Pakistan proved once again why they are called an unpredictable side.
Read: Asia Cup: Pakistan choose to bowl against Afghanistan in 'anybody's game'
Farooqi and Fareed Ahmad Malik picked up three wickets each and Rashid Khan took two.
Earlier, openers Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 36 runs in 3.5 overs for Afghanistan. Haris Rauf removed Gurbaz for 17 and Afghanistan kept losing wickets at regular intervals.
Ibrahim Zadran (35 off 37) was the highest run-getter for the Afghans. Rashid Khan remained unbeaten on 18 off 15 balls with two fours and one six.
For Pakistan, Haris picked up two wickets. Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab Khan took one wicket each.
Pakistan will now face Sri Lanka in the final on September 11.
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