PAK vs AFG: Afghanistan send out clear warning ahead of Asia Cup 2025 as Rashid Khan's men stun Pakistan in Sharjah

Before the start of the ongoing T20I tri-series, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan emphasized on playing good cricket. On Tuesday, Afghanistan played good cricket as Rashid Khan's men stunned Pakistan by 18 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Ground, thus sending a clear warning to all the teams ahead of the Asia Cup 2025, which starts later this month.

Having not played a single T20I in 2025, Afghanistan surrendered in front of Pakistan by 39 runs in the tri-series opener. But they made a strong statement in their next two games, by winning against United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Pakistan to ease their passage into the final.

Batting first, Rahmanullah Gurbaz once again faltered at the top but Sediqullah Atal (64) and Ibrahim Zadran (65) laid the foundation with a 100-plus partnership for the second wicket. The score could have been more for Afghanistan had Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi chipped in with the bat. Afghanistan managed 169/5 in 20 overs.

In reply, Pakistan never got going in chase as Afghanistan bowlers kept on taking wickets at regular intervals. Saim Ayub, who had scored a fifty in the last match, was the first one to go for a first-ball duck, followed by Sahibzada Farhan (18) inside the powerplay.

Fakhar Zaman (25) and Salman Agha (20) did try but failed to convert the start into big innings. Hasan Nawaz and Mohammad Haris followed suit before Rashid killed the game with two wickets in two balls - Mohammad Nawaz and Shaheen Afridi in the 16th over. Pakistan eventually finished at 151/9 in 20 overs with Haris Rauf top scoring at 34 not out.

Pakistan, Afghanistan go level on points With this win, both Pakistan and Afghanistan go on level points (four) while UAE remained winless so far in the series. The tri-series is being seen as a preparation for the Asia Cup 2025 and Afghanistan's win sends a clear warning to the heavyweights India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh to not take them lightly in the continental showpiece.

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