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Agha Salman’s PAK Crush AFG As Haris Rauf Escapes Rashid Scare In Tri-Series Opener

Aakash Saini

Pakistan players celebrating a wicket [Source: @Mujha_q_Nakala/x]Pakistan players celebrating a wicket [Source: @Mujha_q_Nakala/x]

Pakistan crushed Afghanistan to start off the UAE T20I Tri-Nation Series 2025 with a bang. Captain Agha Salman led the ‘Men in Green’ from the front before bowlers completed the demolition job.

Here, we take a look at the entire highlights of the first T20I of the UAE Tri-Nation Series 2025, as it panned out at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah on Friday, August 29.

Captain Agha Salman Leads Pakistan From The Front

Batting first, Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan bludgeoned 21 off 10, and his partner Saim Ayub made a sluggish 16-ball 14 before both cricketers were dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai and Rashid Khan respectively. Middle-order batters Fakhar Zaman (20 off 17) and Hasan Nawaz (9 off 13) also failed to capitalize their starts as Pakistan slipped to 83-4 around 11 overs.

Captain Agha Salman led his team from the front with a counterattacking knock of 53* runs from 36 balls with three boundaries and three sixes. Mohammad Nawaz (21 off 11) and Faheem Ashraf (14 off 5) also fired cracking cameos at the death as Pakistan raced to 182-7.

For Afghanistan, Fareed Ahmad picked up the wickets of Nawaz and Mohammad Haris to claim 2-47, while his teammates Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan chipped in with a wicket each.

Rashid Khan’s Six-Hitting Spree Goes In Vain

Chasing 183, Afghanistan raced to a blistering 50-1 at the end of the powerplay, and to a cracking 85-2 around the halfway stage of the innings, with opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz making 38 runs off 27 balls before falling to Mohammad Nawaz. Shaheen Afridi struck with the new ball by castling Ibrahim Zadran to land the opening blow to Afghanistan.

Afghanistan’s middle-order failed to capitalize the fiery top-order start as they folded up for just 143 despite reaching 93-2 at one stage. Rashid Khan rained down five sixes in his 16-ball 39, but a four-wicket haul from Haris Rauf (4-31) and two-fers from Shaheen, Mohammad Nawaz and Sufiyan Muqeem ensured Pakistan won the match by 39 runs.