Afghanistan beat Pakistan by 18 runs in the United Arab Emirates during the tri-series warm-up for the Asia Cup.
Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal smashed successive half-centuries before Afghanistan spinners strangled Pakistan’s deep batting lineup to notch an 18-run win in the opening T20 of their tri-series.
The spin trio of captain Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad, playing his first game of the tournament, snared six wickets between them to limit Pakistan to 151-9.
Zadran (65) and Atal (64) followed their half-centuries against the United Arab Emirates a day ago with an impressive 113-run stand as Afghanistan posted 169-5 after Khan won the toss and elected to field.
It was the fourth straight game in the tri-series in which teams successfully defended totals. UAE lost both its games while chasing against Pakistan and Afghanistan.
