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The Afghanistan and Pakistan cricket teams faced off in the second T20 match of their series on March 21, 2023. The match was held at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, Pakistan, and featured two of the top T20 teams in the world.
26 MARCH 2023
TIME: 12:00 AM ET
Afghanistan entered the match with a 1-0 lead in the series, having won the first T20 by 7 wickets. Pakistan was looking to bounce back and level the series, while Afghanistan was hoping to continue their winning streak and clinch the series.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first. The team got off to a strong start, with openers Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam putting on a solid partnership of 71 runs. Zaman was the more aggressive of the two, scoring 38 runs off just 23 balls before being caught by Rashid Khan off the bowling of Mohammad Nabi.
Azam continued to anchor the innings, scoring 59 runs off 44 balls before being dismissed by Mujeeb Ur Rahman in the 15th over. Pakistan’s middle order struggled to keep the momentum going, with only Shoaib Malik and Imad Wasim making significant contributions. The team finished their innings with a total of 167 runs for the loss of 6 wickets.
Afghanistan got off to a shaky start in their chase, losing opener Hazratullah Zazai early in the innings. However, Mohammad Shahzad and Najeeb Tarakai put on a solid partnership, scoring 58 runs together before Tarakai was dismissed by Shadab Khan.
Shahzad continued to bat aggressively, scoring 65 runs off just 43 balls before being caught by Zaman off the bowling of Mohammad Amir. However, his dismissal did not slow down Afghanistan’s momentum, as the team’s middle order continued to score runs at a quick pace.
Asghar Afghan and Mohammad Nabi played key roles in the chase, with Afghan scoring 33 runs off 22 balls and Nabi scoring 26 runs off just 10 balls.
