• Pakistan won the third T20I at Sharjah by 66 runs.

  • Pakistan skipper Shadab Khan was declared the 'Player of the Match' for his all-round performance.

AFG vs PAK 2023: Pakistan denies Afghanistan a whitewash, wins the third T20I at Sharjah
Pakistan beat Afghanistan in 3rd T20I (Photo Source: Twitter)

Afghanistan’s hopes for a series sweep against Pakistan were dashed when the Green Team won the third and last T20I between the two sides by 66 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Monday, March 27.

Despite five of their top players being rested, Pakistan managed to put up a strong fight and scored 182-7 in their stipulated 20 overs. They then went on to bowl out Afghanistan for 116 with eight balls to spare.

Pakistan’s interim captain Shadab Khan and young fast bowler Ihsanullah were the heroes of the match, sharing six wickets between them. Shadab’s impressive performance of 3/13 made him the first Pakistani men’s player to reach 100 wickets in T20s. Meanwhile, Ihsanullah’s short-pitched deliveries earned him 3 for 29.

Shadab also made a significant contribution with the bat, scoring 28 runs off just 17 balls towards the end of Pakistan’s innings. However, Saim Ayub missed out on his first T20 half-century by just one run.

“It’s a special occasion to be part of this team,” said Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan in the post match presentation. “We won the series, but we have some areas to improve on. We responded well under pressure. We have struggled under pressure in the past but I’m happy that we chased in a couple of games.”

Despite their loss in the final match, Afghanistan’s achievement of winning their first match and series against Pakistan in any format was a historic moment. It was a remarkable effort, and the team can take pride in their overall performance.

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