Overview:
He became only the third Pakistani bowler to achieve a hat trick in T20s when in-form batter Ibrahim Zadran was stumped off the first ball of Nawaz’s second over.
SHARJAH, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz claimed a hat trick and inspired Pakistan to a 75-run win in the final of the Twenty20 tri-series as Afghanistan crashed to its second-lowest-ever T20 score of 66 on Sunday.
Afghanistan’s spinners, led by Rashid Khan’s 3-38, had earlier limited Pakistan to 141-8, which was the lowest total by teams batting first in the tournament that also featured the United Arab Emirates.
“It was the kind of wicket where even 130-140 was always going to be challenging, and once we got there, we knew it would be tough for them,” Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said.
“Since Nawaz’s comeback, he’s been outstanding, performing brilliantly in all departments. For me, he’s the guy I can rely on in tough situations.”
Nawaz (5-19) sliced through the Afghan middle-order with the wickets of Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai off the last two balls of his first over in the powerplay. He became only the third Pakistani bowler to achieve a hat trick in T20s when in-form batter Ibrahim Zadran was stumped off the first ball of Nawaz’s second over.
Fast bowlers Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hasnain achieved hat-tricks for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
“We wanted to prepare in a way that helps us for the Asia Cup, and we’ve done that,” Agha said. “We’ve been doing really well since the Bangladesh home series. Finally, we’re in very good shape and fully prepared for the Asia Cup.”