Kudos to Afghan team

Thank goodness Pakistan received the third T20I in opposition to Afghanistan, and prevented the humiliation of a 3-0 whitewash by the hands of a child of cricket. Although with out its 5 major gamers — skipper Babar Azam, wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan, flamboyant opener Fakhar Zaman and speedsters Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf — Crew Pakistan was nonetheless anticipated to prevail over Afghanistan which is a a lot junior group that earned the ICC Check standing solely in 2018 i.e. 66 years after Greenshirts acquired the identical. Additionally, Crew Pakistan was studded with an array of younger expertise that earned a spot within the nationwide facet primarily based on their spectacular efficiency within the not too long ago concluded eighth version of PSL.

It was Pakistan’s batting that was mainly accountable for the defeats within the first two video games of the collection performed at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The bowlers nonetheless did their half, stretching the video games to 18^th and 20^th overs within the defence of meager targets of 93 and 131 within the first and second sport respectively. Because of the bowlers, the Shadab males had been even in sight of victory all through each encounters. And with the batting clicking within the third sport, Crew Pakistan managed a good-looking 182-run whole that proved an excessive amount of for the younger and immature Afghans who had been booked for simply 116 within the 19^th over.

Although the collection was misplaced, it turned out to be train for our cricket managers as regards gauging the bench power. And a serious takeaway from the collection is that we have to work tougher on our reserves, particularly within the batting division. Not one of the new gamers stood out although, opening batsman Saim Ayub and pacers Ihsanulla and Zaman Khan did make their presence felt — and are prone to be in competition for a spot within the New Zealand-bound squad that can play 5 T20Is and as many ODIs in opposition to the Black Caps. Kudos, in the meantime, to Afghanistan that received a collection in opposition to a top-six-ranked ICC group for the primary time.

Printed in The Categorical Tribune, March 29^th, 2023.

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