SHARJAH: Pakistan won the toss and chose to bat first against Afghanistan in the opening match of the T20I tri-series at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday.
The Men in Green started strongly with an attacking partnership between openers Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub. Farhan looked in great touch, smashing two sixes and a four to score 21 runs off just 10 balls, before being dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai. Pakistan were 26/1 at that point.
Left-hander Saim Ayub followed soon after, falling to Afghan skipper Rashid Khan for 14 off 16 balls, leaving Pakistan two down early in their innings. Fakhar Zaman scored 20 runs off 17 balls before getting out with Pakistan’s total at 63.
Playing XIs:
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan (captain), Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmed.
Head-to-Head Record:
Pakistan and Afghanistan have faced each other seven times in T20 internationals. Pakistan has won four of those encounters, while Afghanistan has claimed three victories, including a 2-1 series win in their only bilateral contest in 2023.
Form Guide:
Both teams come into the tri-series with similar recent records — three wins in their last five matches.
Pakistan: W, L, W, W, L
Afghanistan: W, W, L, L, W
With the Asia Cup 2025 on the horizon, this tri-series provides both sides with a valuable chance to build momentum and test their combinations in UAE conditions.
