India out of Asia Cup 2022 as Pakistan beat Afghanistan
Pakistan beat Afghanistan in a crucial Super Four match at the Asia Cup 2022 on Wednesday. With this win, Pakistan have booked their place in the final of the Asia Cup. They will face Sri Lanka in the final. Both Pakistan and Sri Lanka have beaten India and Afghanistan in the Super Four. Afghanistan posted 129/6 as Pakistan then claimed a thrilling win (131/9).
The story of the Asia Cup (Super Four)
After gaining qualification from the group stage, Pakistan beat India in their first Super Four match on Sunday and have now overcome Afghanistan. With two wins, they are through to the final alongside SL. Notably, both sides will face each other in the final Super Four match on Friday. The final will be on Sunday. Afghanistan and India will meet tomorrow in a dead-rubber.
How did the match pan out?
Afghanistan started well before losing their way. From 78/2, they ended with 129/6. They had a terrible time during the middle overs. For Pakistan, Naseem Shah (1/19) was highly impressive. Ibrahim Zadran was the top scorer for the Afghans (35). In response, Babar Azam was dismissed for a golden duck. Pakistan were well poised before suffering a collapse.
Skippers Babar and Nabi out for golden ducks
In the ongoing tournament, Babar has scores of 10, 9, 14, and 0. He has an average below nine. He registered his fourth T20I duck. This is also the second time Babar has registered a golden duck in T20Is. Meanwhile, Afghan skipper Mohammad Nabi also scored a first-ball duck tonight. Nabi's last eight innings read: 5(6), 9(9), 6(5), 5(5), 0(1), 8(9), 1(4), 0(1).
Key numbers for bowlers
Shadab Khan claimed one wicket for 27 runs. He has raced to 80 wickets in T20Is and is now the fourth Pakistani cricketer to take 80-plus wickets. Haris Rauf (2/26) has raced to 45 scalps in T20Is. Rashid Khan picked up two wickets. He now has 118 scalps in T20Is.
