Nawaz’s hat-trick seals tri-series title for Pakistan

Pakistan clinched the tri-nation T20 series in the United Arab Emirates with a dominant win over Afghanistan, thanks to Mohammad Nawaz’s sensational hat-trick. On Sunday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Salman Agha and Mohammad Nawaz powered Pakistan to victory as they bowled out Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan’s side for just 66 runs after posting 141.

Winning the toss and batting first, Pakistan struggled early. Opener Sahibzada Farhan was dismissed by Fazalhaq Farooqi without scoring. Saim Ayub (17) and Fakhar Zaman (27) then added 49 runs before the stand was broken by Noor Ahmad, who removed Ayub. Rashid Khan later dismissed Zaman, leaving Pakistan at 51 for 3.

Captain Salman Agha (24), Hasan Nawaz (15), Mohammad Nawaz (25 off 21), and Faheem Ashraf (15) added useful runs as Pakistan finished on 141 in their 20 overs. Rashid Khan was the pick of Afghanistan’s bowlers with 3 wickets for 38 runs in his 4 overs. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad took two wickets each, while AM Ghazanfar picked up one.

Chasing 142, Afghanistan crumbled under pressure. Shaheen Shah Afridi struck early, removing Rahmanullah Gurbaz (5) for just 7 runs. Nawaz then ripped through the Afghan batting with a hat-trick, dismissing Darwish Rasooli (0) and Azmatullah Omarzai (0), before coming back in the next over to remove Ibrahim Zadran (9) and then Karim Janat (0). With Afghanistan reeling at 32 for 6, their hopes were all but over.

Abrar Ahmed chipped in by dismissing Sadiqullah Atal (13), while Nawaz completed his demolition with 5 wickets for 19 runs. Afghanistan were bowled out for 66 in 15.5 overs, with Rashid Khan top-scoring with 17.

Mohammad Nawaz was named Player of the Final, contributing both with bat and ball — 25 off 21 with the bat, and a hat-trick as part of his match-winning 5 for 19.