Mohammad Nawaz's Hat Trick Leads Pakistan to Victory

Sharjah, Sep 8 (AP) - In a thrilling display of bowling, left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz secured a hat trick, leading Pakistan to a dominant 75-run victory in the final of the Twenty20 tri-series. Afghanistan was left reeling, collapsing to its second-lowest T20 score of just 66.

Earlier in the match, Afghanistan's spinners, spearheaded by Rashid Khan who took 3-38, had effectively constrained Pakistan to a modest total of 141-8. This was notably the lowest first-innings total in the tournament, which also included the United Arab Emirates.

“On a wicket like this, scoring 130-140 was always going to be challenging, and once we reached that mark, we knew it was going to be difficult for them,” remarked Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha.

He continued, “Since Nawaz's comeback, he's been exceptional, performing superbly across all disciplines. In difficult situations, he's the player I can count on.” Nawaz finished with figures of 5-19, decimating Afghanistan's middle-order. He took the wickets of Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai off the last two balls of his first over during the powerplay. Nawaz joined an elite group, becoming only the third Pakistani bowler to claim a hat trick in T20 internationals when the in-form batter Ibrahim Zadran was stumped off the first ball of Nawaz's second over.

Previously, Pakistani fast bowlers Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hasnain achieved hat tricks against Sri Lanka in 2017 and 2019, respectively.

Nawaz's performance put Afghanistan in dire straits, taking four wickets for just one run in his first two overs. He trapped Karim Janat leg before wicket with a straight delivery and capped off his impressive night by dismissing Rashid Khan in his final over.

Khan, marking his 100th T20 appearance for Afghanistan, emerged as his team's top-scorer with 17 runs. Sediqullah Atal managed 13, but none of the other batters could reach double figures. Pakistan's spin duo of Sufiyan Muqeem (2-9) and Abrar Ahmed (2-17) further compounded Afghanistan's struggles.

Khan later commented, “I believe the target was within reach, but we didn’t play the style of cricket we intended. Losing five wickets within the powerplay made recovery extremely difficult. It's crucial for us to learn from these conditions before the Asia Cup.”

Pakistan had elected to bat first but found themselves struggling at 72-5 in the 12th over. Nawaz then sparked a revival, contributing 25 runs off 21 balls and sharing a 40-run partnership with Agha, who scored 24 before falling to Khan in the 17th over.

On a turning pitch, Pakistani batters had their hurdles. Saim Ayub was restricted to 17 runs from 19 balls, while Fakhar Zaman misjudged a straight Rashid Khan delivery and was dismissed leg before wicket for 27 off 26 deliveries.

However, Pakistan's strategy to field multiple all-rounders paid dividends, boosting team morale ahead of the upcoming Asia Cup in the UAE.

“Our goal was to prepare thoroughly for the Asia Cup, and we've achieved that,” Agha added. “We've been performing well since the Bangladesh home series, and now we're in excellent shape and fully geared up for the Asia Cup.”

AP

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