Babar Azam added another feather to his T20I cap on Friday as Pakistan beat Afghanistan to stretch their unbeaten streak in the Unite Arab Emirates on Friday.
Babar Azam scored 51 off 45 balls in Pakistan’s 5-wicket win over Afghanistan in the Super 12 (AP Photo)
HIGHLIGHTS
- Pakistan (148/5) beat Afghanistan (147/6) by 5 wickets in Dubai
- Babar Azam completed 1000 T20I runs as Pakistan captain in 26 innings
- Virat Kohli had achieved the feat for India in 30 innings to break Faf du Plessis’s record
Pakistan captain Babar Azam on Friday broke Virat Kohli’s record to become the fastest skipper to complete 1000 runs in the shortest format of international cricket during the match against Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai.
Babar Azam shattered the previous record held by the Indian skipper by achieving the feat in 26 innings as compared to 30 taken by Kohli. South Africa’s Faf du Plessis (31), Australian Aaron Finch (32) and New Zealand’s Kane Williamson (36) complete the top five.
Babar hit 51 off 45 balls while Asif Ali smashed 25 not out off 7 balls, including 4 sixes in the penultimate over, in Pakistan’s successful run chase as they beat Afghanistan by 5 wickets to complete their hat-trick of wins in the Super 12.
AFG vs PAK, T20 World Cup: Highlights
Pakistan gunned down the target of 148 after riding on Babar, Asif and Fakhar Zaman’s (30) to consolidate their position on top of Group 2. The win also helped Pakistan stretch their unbeaten record in the UAE to 14 T20Is and brought an end to Afghanistan’s 17-match winning streak in the country.
Having beaten India and New Zealand in their first two matches, Pakistan are effectively in the last four with clashes against minnows Namibia and Scotland remaining.
“We started well with the ball, got a lot of wickets like we planned. Maybe gave away 10-15 runs too many at the end. With the bat, we couldn’t capitalise the powerplay as we wanted to. At the end, with Malik and Asif Ali, we knew they could do the job.
“He (Asif Ali) is known for this and I was confident pre-tournament itself that he would deliver when needed. We planned our strategies well with the ball, and also ensured that he kept the uneven boundary dimensions in mind while bowling.
“Spinners were getting some grip from the track, Afghanistan have quality bowlers too and I was trying to take it as deep as possible. Unfortunately I couldn’t finish things off but credit to Asif Ali,” Babar Azam said after the match.
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