Pakistan mustered only 141 runs in the tri-series final after batting first, and it seemed like Afghanistan would cruise to an easy victory, but the spinning all-rounder Mohammad Nawaz had other ideas as he achieved his maiden five-wicket haul, including a hat-trick, triggering a collapse.
What could have been a rather comfortable run chase, Afghanistan ended up fluffing yet another knockout game in T20Is as Pakistan romped to the tri-series victory in Sharjah on Sunday, September 7, a couple of days ahead of the start of the Asia Cup. Mohammad Nawaz ran riot in the middle overs, triggering an Afghan collapse they couldn’t recover from, registering his maiden five-wicket haul in T20Is, including a rare hat-trick as Rashid Khan and Co bundled out for 66 chasing 142.
Afghanistan’s 66 is the lowest score by any opposition in a tournament final in T20Is, including all the multi-nation events, continental or global, the tri-series and other qualifying events having the knockout stage. Afghanistan broke Norway’s record, who were skittled out for 69 by Jersey in last year’s T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier Group B.
Lowest all-out totals in a tournament final – T20Is
66 – Afghanistan (vs Pakistan) – T20I tri-series, 2025
69 – Norway (vs Jersey) – T20 World Cup Sub-Regional Europe Qualifier Group B, 2024
71 – Ireland (vs Afghanistan) – Desert T20 Challenge, 2017
Sharjah usually takes a turn and since it was the seventh straight game at the venue, it was expected to be a slow wicket and hence, Pakistan opted to bat first. Rashid and his spinners had the Pakistan batters in a fix, and it seemed like 141 wouldn’t be a straightforward chase but Nawaz made Sharjah look like a Day 4 wicket in Chennai. It was turning square, and the young Afghan batters didn’t have a clue as to what the ball would do after pitching.
An edge here, a stumping there, a missed sweep somewhere else and the Afghanistan batting line-up was in tatters. Nawaz became only the fifth Pakistani bowler to take a five-wicket haul in T20Is and even completed a hat-trick, dismissing Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai and Ibrahim Zadran in the span of three consecutive balls across two overs.