Afghanistan and Pakistan began their first-ever bilateral T20I series with a cracking game at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday, March 25.
The low-scoring clash saw Pakistan scoring only 92/9 in their allotted 20 overs after opting to bat first. Only four batters were able to score in double figures for the Shadab Khan-led side. Afghanistan, too, were in a spot of bother at the halfway stage before experienced campaigner Mohammad Nabi bailed out his team and took Afghanistan over the finish line in 17.5 overs with his unbeaten 38, including three fours and a six.
Ahead of the much-awaited contest between the two neighbouring countries, Afghan players decided to give farewell to their superstar bowler Hamid Hassan who recently announced his retirement from international cricket.
The official Twitter handle of Afghanistan shared snapshots from Hassan’s farewell ceremony, which saw Rashid Khan and Nabi presenting a memento to Hassan. Further, the Afghanistan players formed a huddle and gave a guard of honour to Hassan.
Thank You, @hamidhassanHH! 🤩
📸: Snapshots from Hamid Hassan's farewell ceremony following his retirement from international cricket recently. #AfghanAtalan | #AFGvPAK | #LobaBaRangRawri pic.twitter.com/uB7h2lsAMV
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) March 24, 2023
Notably, Hassan played a significant role in Afghanistan’s rise in world cricket. He was known for his ability to generate high speeds and swing the ball both ways. The Nangarhar-born cricketer was instrumental in Afghanistan’s qualification for the 2015 Cricket World Cup, where he played a key role in their victory over Scotland in the tournament.
Hassan played his last ODI in the Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2019 and made his last appearance for Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in 2021. In his international career, the right-arm paceman played 38 ODIs and 25 T20Is for Afghanistan, taking 59 and 35 wickets, respectively.
Earlier this month, Hassan was appointed as the bowling coach of Afghanistan, replacing former Pakistan pacer Umar Gul, whose contract had ended at the start of the year after the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had extended the contracts of only head coach Jonathan Trott and fielding coach Ryan Maron.
