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AFG vs PAK: Salman Agha, Haris Rauf shine as Pakistan win by 39 runs in Tri-series opener

Pakistan started their T20I tri-series campaign with a win over Afghanistan by 39 runs in Sharjah. Skipper Salman Agha was named Player of the Match for his 53 not-out off 36 balls.

Pakistan opted to bat first after they won the toss. Their top-order, nevertheless, was not able to provide them with a solid start, and they were 83/4 in 11.1 overs. Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, and Fakhar Zaman all had starts but were not able to convert them into big scores.

The innings was revived in a promising fifth-wicket stand of 53 between captain Agha and Mohammad Nawaz (21 off 11). Handy contributions from Mohammad Haris (15 off 13) and Faheem Ashraf (14 off 5) then had Pakistan posting 182/7 in 20 overs. Agha was not out on 53 with a strike rate of 147.22.

For Afghanistan, Fareed Ahmad took two wickets, and Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Azmatullah Omarzai took one wicket each.

Afghanistan responded by losing Ibrahim Zadran for just nine runs, but Rahmanullah Gurbaz (38) and Sediqullah Atal added 51 runs for the second wicket. Atal and Darwish Rasooli then looked set for a good partnership, taking the score to 93/2 in 11.2 overs.

But Pakistan replied as Afghanistan dramatically collapsed losing five wickets for four runs and falling to 97/7. Although captain Rashid Khan attacked back with a sizzling 39 off 16 balls (strike rate 243.75), it was not enough. Afghanistan were bowled out for 143 in 19.5 overs.

With the ball, Haris Rauf impressed with a four-wicket haul while Sufiyan Muqeem, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Nawaz picked up two wickets apiece.

Pakistan take on UAE next on August 30, while Afghanistan's next fixture is also against UAE, on September 1.