T20 World Cup | AFG vs PAK: Zeal, passion, composure & Pakistan make it 3 out of 3

It was the final ball of the 18th over. Shadab Khan had just come in with Pakistan needing 24 off 13 against Afghanistan. The right-hander plays the delivery from Naveen-ul-Haq and calls for a single. But Asif Ali who was standing at the non-striker’s end DENIES. The equation was now down to 24 off 12 with 5 wickets intact. 

But with Asif on strike, the Pakistan fans had the confidence that the side would still etch a win. After all, he had changed the complexion of the game against the Kiwis with some fireworks. 

And Asif replicated the same in this game against Afghanistan. It seemed that the right-handed batsman’s mind was working like a computer and he had himself backed his striking ability. 

Asif got the first delivery from Janat in the slot and he deposited it behind the boundary rope. The second one was a good Yorker outside the off-stump but it took the Pakistan middle-order batter just one ball to make a comeback. 

Karim bowled this third delivery a bit short and Asif targeted the shorter boundary around deep mid-wicket region to smash another maximum. 

He had already scored 12 in the first three balls and Afghanistan needed some breather from this onslaught which the medium pacer succeeded in getting. He nailed another wide Yorker making it six-dot-six-dot in the over. 

The upcoming two balls were very very crucial. It felt as if it was a pendulum that was moving but Asif had other plans in his mind and he banked upon his confidence. He first dispatched the fifth ball over the bowler’s head for a six and then smacked a slower delivery, fuller in length, into the stands to win it for Pakistan. 

The Pakistan supporters in the stadium who almost cried after Shoaib Malik was dismissed were filled with joy and why not. 

Asif Ali had finished it off in style and remained unbeaten at 25 off 7. 

For those who had followed the 2016 World T20 and especially the final would consider it as the second “remember the name” moment. Pakistan chased down a target of 148 runs by 5 wickets with an over to spare. 

It was all about the balance

In the present scenario, Pakistan seem to be the most balanced and stable side as far as their line up is concerned. While Mohammad Rizwan, captain Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman have the responsibility of providing them with a steady start, the experienced Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Mailk’s work is to stick around and hold the fort at one end. 

But the most tricky task is with Asif Ali. He is someone who has certainly been assigned with the finisher’s role and he has been doing it pretty well for the past two games. 

In this clash against Afghanistan, Rizwan failed to stay for a longer time at the crease but Babar and Fakhar provided the much-needed resistance and stitched a stand of 63 runs for the second wicket. While Fakhar was sent back in the hut for 30 off 25, Babar continued with his form and struck another fifty in this T20 World Cup. 

Later, Hafeez who had walked out to bat at number four didn’t really score much and was out for a run-a-ball 10 but Shoaib Malik put up an important 25-run partnership with Babar. Babar's departure for a 47-ball 51 and then Malik’s scalp left Pakistan in a spot of bother as the side was reduced to 124/5 but Asif Ali did the rest. 

Rashid Khan’s master plan

Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan’s talent to deceive the batsmen isn’t something unknown now. He is quicker through the air, can spin it away from the batsmen and has the ability to bag wickets on wrong-uns. And this is what he did on Friday night in Dubai. Rashid had already picked up Hafeez’s wicket who tried to take the aerial route and was caught in the deep by Naib. Apart from this, he had troubled the batsmen with his immaculate variations throughout the evening. 

He had become so unpredictable at one stage that the Pakistan batsmen just tried to play his overs off. But the ever-increasing required run-rate forced them to take a few risks and which gave Afghanistan and Mohammad Nabi to bring Rashid back in the attack in the 16th over. 

It was evident that the batsmen would have to go after him and Malik began to take his chances and succeeded pretty well in scoring one six in his final over. Well, the batters did try to get more boundaries with some aggressive strokes in his overs but failed and it was the last delivery when Rashid castled Babar to bring the Afghan team back in the hunt. 

He bowled a wrong-un that came into the right-hander and Babar who was trying to push the paddle missed it completely. 

Fault in Afghanistan’s batting order

From the word go, it seemed as if Afghanistan were under some pressure. To start with, the decision of opting to bat despite knowing the fact that dew will play some role in the later stage and it wouldn’t be that easy to control the ball in the second innings. Later, Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad were simply negotiating Shaheen Afridi in the first over. 

Interestingly, both the batsmen’s natural game is to attack and we have seen that previously. Afghanistan had a disappointing start to the proceedings and were tottering at 76/6 when captain Nabi and Gulbadin came in for the rescue. 

The two batsmen scored 71 runs for the seventh wicket and both remained unbeaten at 35. Well, at one stage the Afghan fans had thought that this was a defendable total especially after the way the spinners rattled Scotland in the first match. 

But eventually, it wasn’t. 

Shaheen first again produced an impressive spell of bowling as he scalped a wicket for 22 runs in 4 overs while Imad Wasim scalped a couple at the cost of 25 runs in his allotted 4 overs. Spinner Shadab Khan also returned with economical figures of 1/22 in 4 overs. 

Pakistan captain Babar Azam admitted that they gave away some 10-15 runs extra despite starting off well but lauded Asif Ali for the way he took up the workload and delivered when it was required. 

“We started well with the ball, got a lot of wickets like we planned. Maybe gave away 10-15 runs too many at the end. With the bat, we couldn't capitalise the powerplay as we wanted to. At the end, with Malik and Asif Ali, we knew they could do the job. He (Asif Ali) is known for this and I was confident pre-tournament itself that he would deliver when needed,” he said in the post-match presentation. 

Afghanistan will now play Namibia on Sunday in Abu Dhabi while Pakistan will also be up against the same opposition and at the same venue.