Pakistan suffers first international cricket match defeat to Afghanistan

 Pakistan suffers first international cricket match defeat to Afghanistan

In a historic moment at the Sharjah cricket stadium, Afghanistan successfully chased down a target of 93 runs given by Pakistan in the first T20 match of the series, winning by 4 wickets in the 18th over. Mohammad Nabi played an important innings of 38 runs for Afghanistan, leading his team to a historic victory.

Pakistan's Ehsanullah stood out with 2 wickets, but the national team was unable to score even 100 runs while batting first in this historic match, which marked the first formal international cricket series between Pakistan and Afghanistan, held in Sharjah.

Pakistan could only manage 92 runs for the loss of nine wickets in their allotted 20 overs in the first T20I match of the historic series.

Pakistan suffers first international cricket match defeat to Afghanistan
In a historic moment at the Sharjah cricket stadium, Afghanistan successfully chased down a target of 93 runs given by Pakistan in the first T20 match of the series.#PakistanvsAfghanistan #CricketTwitter pic.twitter.com/yugvU8BhR8

— JFM Press (@JFMPress) March 25, 2023

Imad Wasim was the only notable contributor for Pakistan with 18 runs. Prior to the match, national team captain Shadab Khan won the toss and decided to bat first. Saif Badar, Tabish Khan, Ehsanullah, and Zahid Khan will make their debut for Pakistan in this match, while the rest of the squad includes Shadab Khan, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Haris, Azam Khan, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, and Naseem Shah. After a stellar performance in the recently-concluded Pakistan Super League Season 8, the eight domestic players have been included in the 15-member squad for the T20I series.

This series presents an opportunity for these players to maintain their form in international cricket. It is important to note that while Pakistan and Afghanistan have played against each other in different tournaments, the two teams have never faced each other in a complete bilateral series. The first official bilateral series between Pakistan and Afghanistan was supposed to take place last year, but it was cancelled due to the situation in Afghanistan. The series was supposed to consist of one-day matches, but a few months ago, it was decided to convert it into a T20 format.