BRISTOL – Afghanistan batsman Hashmatullah Shahidi hit an unbeaten 74 as the World Cup underdogs stunned former champions Pakistan to win by three wickets with two balls to spare in a thrilling warm-up match in Bristol on Friday.
Chasing a modest 263 for victory, Afghanistan's opening batsmen Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai got them off to a blistering start, before Shahidi took charge to help them cross the finish line in the final over.
Pakistan batsman Babar Azam, who shone in their 4-0 series defeat by England this month, continued his excellent form with the bat ahead of the World Cup, scoring 112 off 108 balls but his team were restricted to a below-par 262 in 47.5 overs.
Afghanistan spinners Mohammad Nabi (3/46) and Rashid Khan (2/27) then choked the Pakistan batsmen to lay the foundation for a famous win, while paceman Dawlat Zadran claimed two wickets, including that of the dangerous Azam.
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/TheRealPCB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheRealPCBin the first warm-up match of @ICC #CWC2019. @Hashmat_50 top-scored and remained unbeaten on 74 runs while @zazai_3 and @MohammadNabi007 contributed with great knocks of 49 and 34 runs respectively. #AFGvPAK #CWC19 #AfghanAtalan #Warmup pic.twitter.com/grsELQqThh
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials)