Afghanistan scripted history on Friday when they registered their first-ever win in a T20I against Pakistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium. It was a clinical performance from the Afghans who first restricted Pakistan to just 92/9 in their 20 overs before chasing down the total with 13 balls to spare.
Mohammad Nabi was the star performer for the winning team both with the bat and the ball. While he first returned with figures of 2 for 12 in his 3 overs, he then took his time, put Afghanistan innings back on track and remained unbeaten on 38 to take his team over the winning line.
He got the wickets of Faheem Ashraf and Naseem Shah but it was particularly the wicket of Naseem that has grabbed the eyeballs of the netizens and cricket fans around the world. The Pakistan cricketer got out in a bizarre fashion in the first of the three-match T20I series in the UAE.
In the fourth ball of the 16th over of the innings, realising that the Men in Green were in desperate need for some runs, Naseem tried to go for the big shot. However, he made no connection with the bat and ended up losing control of his bat swing and hitting his own stumps. The video of his dismissal has surfaced on social media with the Afghanistan Cricket Board also sharing the video.
Here is the video:
Meanwhile, Afghanistan did lose a few wickets in the middle but Nabi's calm presence was enough to ensure that they end on the winning side. In the end, the experienced campaigner finished things off in style as he scored a maximum to help Afghanistan past the winning line.
The next two T20Is of the series will also be played in Sharjah and are scheduled on successive days March 26 (Sunday) and March 27 (Monday).