Pakistan’s Asif Ali made a quickfire 7-ball 24 to help his team beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets in an ICC men’s T20 World Cup Super 12 group 2 match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on October 29. With this victory, Pakistan notched up their 3rd victory on the trot in the tournament.
In the run-chase, Pakistan seemed to have dwindled a little bit in the middle over, owing to some fantastic bowling from the Afghan bowlers. However, Asif Ali had other plans in mind. Pakistan needed 24 runs off 12 balls.
This is how the 19th over went: 6,0,6,0,6,6. It was clean and clinical hitting from the right-handed batsman as bowler Karim Janat was taken to the cleaners.
With this win, Pakistan extended their unbeaten run in the United Arab Emirates to 14, while Afghanistan faced their first defeat in 18 T20Is in UAE.
Highest SR in T20 World Cups (25+ runs)
414.3 Dwayne Smith (29 off 7) vs Bangladesh in 2007
362.5 Yuvraj Singh (58 off 16) vs England in 2007
357.1 Asif Ali (25* off 7) vs Afghanistan in 2021
353.8 Jehan Mubarak (46* off 13) vs Kenya in 2007
340.8 Carlos Brathwaite (34* off 10) vs England in 2016
Pakistan overhauled the target in 19 overs, a victory which consolidated their top spot in the points table and enhanced their semifinal chances with minnows Scotland and Namibia up next for them.
His side needing 24 runs from the last two overs, Asif Ali (25 off 7 balls) finished the job in 19th over, hitting four sixes off Karim Jannat.
Asif Ali was adjudged man of the match. He said: “I would like to congratulate the Pakistan team and all our fans. I was confident of finishing it off from this end and that’s what I told Shoaib Malik before he got out.”
“I look at the situation of the match, and I target the bowlers accordingly. I was talking to Shoaib when I walked in to bat and I told him that I was confident enough of getting 20-25 in one over against Karim Janat, which I did,” he added.
