
Pakistan met Afghanistan in their Super Four clash at the Asia Cup 2022 edition, on Wednesday (September 7), at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah. A win for the Babar Azam-led Men in Green would've secured them a spot in the tournament final, with Sri Lanka. On the other hand,a victory for Mohammad Nabi-led Afghan line-up would've kept the tournament alive, with India also breathing for another day.
Eventually, Pakistan emerged on top in a humdinger of a clash as Naseem Shah -- playinghis fourth T20I and who hadbatted only once prior to this -- smacked two sixes on the trot in the last over to help his side complete a tricky 130-run chase. Being asked to bat first, Afghanistan managed 129-6 but bounced back in style in the middle overs during the second half to reducePakistan to 110/8, from 87/3. Thus, theyonly had to get one more wicket going into the final over.
Meanwhile, Pakistan needed 11 off 6 balls with Naseem-Mohammad Hasnain in the middle. The 19-year-old Naseem hit two successive sixes to finish the run-chase in an emphatic fashion, with four balls to spare. His big strokes sent Pakistani fans into a frenzy as the Men in Green dugout charged into the middle with the players going bonkers. Here's the video of Naseem's sixes:
At the post-match presentation, skipper Babar opined on Naseem's big shots and said, "At the back of the mind, I have seen Naseem play like this earlier, and I had the belief in him. This moment reminds me of Javed Miandad's six."
Meanwhile, Pakistan continued sealing matches from Afghanistan's mouths as their last four face-offs have all gone down to the wire. Here's how the last four matches between both sides have gone by:
Asia Cup 2018: Pakistan won with 3 balls to spare
ODI World Cup 2019: Pak won with 2 balls to spare
T20I World Cup 2021: Pak won with 6 balls to spare
Asia Cup 2022: Babar & Co. won with 4 balls to spare