Dubai: Pakistan continued their winning run in the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on Friday as they beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets in a thrilling in Dubai to complete their hat-trick in the Super 12 and consolidate their position on top of the Group 2 table.
Chasing 148 for victory, Pakistan rode on swashbuckling knocks from captain Babar Azam, Asif Ali and Fakhar Zaman to cross the finish line with an over to spare.
Babar top-scored with 51 runs, his 22nd fifty, and also broke Virat Kohli’s record in the process to become the fastest captain to complete 1000 runs in T20Is. He put on a 63-run stand with Fakhar (30) before Asif Ali’s fireworks lit up the stadium.
The win helped Pakistan stretch their unbeaten record in the UAE to 14 T20Is and brought an end to Afghanistan’s 17-match winning streak in the country.
Earlier, Skipper Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib’s unbeaten knocks in a splendid rearguard action steered Afghanistan to a competitive 147 for six against Pakistan in a Super 12 Group 2 match of the T20 World Cup, here on Friday.
