As the team almost entered the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup, Asif Ali once again saved Pakistan for the second consecutive night. On Friday night, Asif made six batting frenzy in Dubai, and Pakistan scored five victories in their third victory against Afghanistan. Looking back at the knock on the door, the captain Babar Azam admitted that he believed that Asif would deliver it to Pakistan when needed. It took 38 of the last four deliveries.
The experienced Shoaib Malik relieved the pressure and sent six to the long-term fence against Rashid Khan. But Long Legs finally finished his job, firing the panicked Babar for 51 (47). Naveen-ul-Haq subsequently supported the dismissal of Malik, while only losing two singles. But with the emergence of Karim Janat and short-leg border insights, Asif looks determined to take advantage of Afghanistan’s weakest bowler.
With 24 balls required for the last 12 goals, Asif hit four six-pointers in the game to take Pakistan home. “He (Asif Ali) is famous for that. He played a lot of games in the PSL (Pakistan Premier League). So I am very confident that he will free us from any trouble we have,” Azam said on his ball. After the team ended, they said they performed a hat-trick and stayed ahead in the group 2 standings. “I have confidence in myself before the game, and he will provide it when needed.” Earlier in the evening, the 71-match unbeaten record between Gurbadin Naib (35 not out) and captain Mohamed Nabi (35 not out) helped the Afghan team rebound from 64-5 with a score of 9.1 innings.
The total score of 6 innings is 147. “We started with the bowl very well and got a lot of wickets as we planned. Maybe we gave up 10-15 times in the end,” Azam said. In response, Pakistan lost early Mohammad Rizwan (8), but Babar and Fakhar Zaman (30) helped revive the game with their carefully planned 63 games. “With the bat, we can’t use force to play as we want.
Finally, with Malik and Asif Ali, we know they can do the job,” Azam said. “We planned our strategy well with the ball and made sure he remembered the uneven boundary size when bowling. “The spinner has gained some grip from the track. Afghanistan also has high-quality bowlers. I tried to go as deep as possible. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish the game, but thanks to Asif Ali.”
News Source : Hindustan Times
