Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz produced a stunning spell of bowling, taking five wickets, as Pakistan avenged their earlier defeat against Afghanistan to claim victory in the Tri-Nation T20 Series final.
It was a pitch tailor-made for spinners — the ball turned sharply and gripped well. Both teams’ spinners bowled brilliantly, but Nawaz stood head and shoulders above the rest. His lethal spin completely dismantled Afghanistan’s batting lineup, helping Pakistan secure the series trophy with a comprehensive 75-run win at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
Batting first, Pakistan posted 141 runs, and in response, Afghanistan were bundled out for just 66 runs, handing Salman Ali Agha’s side a commanding win.
Nawaz was undoubtedly the hero for Pakistan. He became only the third Pakistani bowler to take a T20I hat-trick, finishing with incredible figures of 4 overs, 1 maiden, 19 runs, and 5 wickets. Before his bowling masterclass, he also chipped in with a valuable 25 off 21 balls, including two sixes.
This was Nawaz’s first five-wicket haul in T20Is, surpassing his previous best of 3 wickets for 5 runs.
For Afghanistan, it was a day to forget — they recorded their second-lowest total in T20I history. Their lowest remains 56 runs, scored against South Africa in the 2024 T20 World Cup semifinal.
Pakistan’s bowling dominance began early, with Shaheen Shah Afridi setting the tone by dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the very first over. From there, it became a spin show. Abrar Ahmed struck in the fifth over to remove Sedikullah Atal, and then Nawaz took center stage.
Coming on to bowl for the first time, Nawaz dismissed Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai on consecutive deliveries, before trapping Ibrahim Zadran with a brilliant stumping on the first ball of his next over to complete his hat-trick.
Before Nawaz, only Faheem Ashraf (2017) and Mohammad Hasnain (2019) had achieved T20I hat-tricks for Pakistan. Nawaz didn’t stop there — he also dismissed Karim Janat without conceding a run, leaving Afghanistan reeling at 32/6 by the eighth over.
He completed his five-wicket haul by removing Rashid Khan, while Sufiyan Muqeem wrapped up the tail with two wickets, sealing a comprehensive victory.
Earlier, Pakistan’s batting had a shaky start after Sahibzada Farhan fell for a duck in the third ball of the match. Saim Ayub and Fakhar Zaman stabilized the innings with a 49-run stand, but a middle-order collapse saw them slump from 49/1 to 72/5.
Thanks to crucial contributions from Salman Ali Agha (24 off 27), Mohammad Nawaz (25 off 21), and Faheem Ashraf (15 off 8), Pakistan managed to post 141/8, which proved more than enough.
With this emphatic win, Pakistan took revenge for their earlier defeat in the group stage and lifted the Tri-Nation T20 Series trophy. This victory will surely boost their confidence ahead of the Asia Cup.
Interestingly, in all seven matches of the series, the team batting first ended up winning.
Match Summary
- Pakistan: 141/8 in 20 overs
(Sahibzada 0, Saim 17, Fakhar 27, Salman 24, Hasan Nawaz 15, Haris 2, Mohammad Nawaz 25, Faheem 15; Farooqi 2/19, Noor 2/17, Rashid 3/38) - Afghanistan: 66 all out in 15.5 overs
(Gurbaz 5, Sedikullah 13, Ibrahim 9, Rasooli 0, Omarzai 0, Nabi 3, Janat 0, Rashid 17; Afridi 1/7, Abrar 2/17, Nawaz 5/19, Muqeem 2/9)
Result: Pakistan won by 75 runs
Player of the Match: Mohammad Nawaz
Player of the Series: Mohammad Nawaz
