Pakistan vs Afghanistan

Pakistan fought hard with ball but Mohammad Nabi steered the chase with an unbeaten 38.

It has been apparent for some time that Nabi's star has been on the wane, but having been recalled to the side, there was scarcely a better man for Afghanistan to have in the middle. It took him one ball to remove the one Pakistan batter who had demonstrated any sort of competence, utterly deceiving [Tayyab Tahir](https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/tayyab-tahir-824159)in the flight, ending a breezy nine-ball 16. [Saim Ayub](https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/saim-ayub-1161031)and [Mohammad Haris](https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/mohammad-haris-1205559), were flying high after a brilliant PSL campaign, but any thoughts of taking the attack to Afghanistan's bowlers were soon dispelled. In that search for wickets, Shadab was forced to turn to Ihsanullah and Naseem a couple of overs early, and Nabi sensed his opportunity. It was more of the same two balls later as Gulbadin Naib perished in the same way, and a revived Pakistan suddenly smelled blood. On a surface where the ball appeared to be stopping in the pitch, Azam Khan was similarly clueless, lobbing [Mujeeb Ur Rahman](https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/mujeeb-ur-rahman-974109)to short midwicket for a two-ball duck. On a surface where the ball didn't quite come onto the bat the same way, he only deflected it onto his stumps. Early prodigious swing from [Fazalhaq Farooqi](https://www.espncricinfo.com/cricketers/fazalhaq-farooqi-974175)set the tone, and as the bowlers preyed on the young openers' frustrations, they were soon rewarded. On a surface where batting was exceptionally challenging, Pakistan crumbled in the face of a disciplined Afghanistan bowling, frittering away wickets at regular intervals, struggling to transfer any pressure onto the hosts. Ihsanullah was particularly exceptional on debut, taking two wickets in his first three balls as Afghanistan lost three quick wickets, and a resurgent Pakistan threatened to run through their line-up. Pakistan had chosen to bat first after winning the toss, but Afghanistan immediately established their dominance, keeping the young Pakistan batting order on a leash. Eleven years on from when these two sides first played each other, Afghanistan secured the win they have arguably wanted more than any other, sweeping Pakistan aside by six wickets in the first T20I in Sharjah.