Pakistan batter Asif Ali revealed that he was confident enough of scoring more than 20 runs in over against Afghanistan’s Karim Janat in the ongoing T20 World Cup here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday.
Pakistan needed 24 runs in 12 balls but Asif did a Carlos Brathwaite and smashed four sixes to power Pakistan home.
“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,” said Asif in a post-match presentation.
“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.
Chasing 148, Afghanistan dented Pakistan’s hopes star batter Mohammad Rizwan in the third over. The Green Army stitched a partnership but Afghanistan skipper Nabi brought himself into the attack gave the breakthrough.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam kept fighting and completed his fifty in 45 balls despite losing Mohammad Hafeez in the 15th over. Rashid Khan turned the game in Afghanistan’s favour as he dismissed Babar in the 17th over.
But Asif Ali smashed four sixes in the penultimate over as Pakistan defeated Afghanistan with six balls to spare. (ANI)
