Pakistan start hot in Sharjah as Rauf and Agha Salman set the tone
Pakistan opened the T20I Tri-Series with a statement win, beating Afghanistan by 39 runs at a packed Sharjah Cricket Stadium on August 29, 2025. A balanced batting effort lifted Pakistan to 182/7, and their quicks closed the door late, bowling Afghanistan out for 143 in 19.5 overs. It was confident, efficient, and exactly the kind of start coaches love in a short tournament.
The script began at the toss. Pakistan chose to bat, trusting a surface that can be sticky early but often rewards smart pacing through the innings. Agha Salman—listed here as Salman Ali Agha and known for his calm hands in the middle order—was the anchor. He finished unbeaten on 53 from 36, holding the innings together while the hitters swung around him. Pakistan lost wickets in clusters at times, yet the run rate never dipped for long. They kept their foot down, especially in the last five overs, when the ball started to skid on under lights.
Afghanistan’s bowlers fought for grip against dew and a quick outfield. Left-armer Fareed Ahmad was the standout with 2 for 47. He pushed hard lengths and used the crease to change angles, which worked when batters were eyeing the leg side. Others probed without much luck. On nights like this in Sharjah, one quiet over can spark a rebuild; Pakistan rarely allowed that. When they lost a wicket, a boundary or a busy over followed. The innings had rhythm, and Agha Salman kept it steady with risk-aware batting—picking gaps, running hard, and choosing his matchups.
Chasing 183 on this ground is not impossible, but it needs early traction. Afghanistan didn’t get it. Pakistan’s new ball attack was tight, hitting the top of off and staying disciplined with the short ball. Dot-ball pressure made singles feel like wins. The required rate crept up, the shot options narrowed, and batters were dragged into risk before they were set. That’s when Haris Rauf changed the mood of the night. He was fast, heavy through the pitch, and ruthless at the death. His 4 for 31 in 3.5 overs included strikes that killed any late surge.
Afghanistan’s best spell with the bat came, as it often does, from Rashid Khan. Walking in with little room to maneuver, he went full throttle—39 off 16—with the kind of clean hitting that shakes a chase back to life. For a brief stretch, the Sharjah crowd leaned forward. Pakistan’s plans, though, stuck. They kept pace off when needed, went hard lengths when Rashid set up deep, and protected the straight boundary. Without a solid platform ahead of him, even Rashid’s cameo couldn’t bridge a chase that had slipped too far.
Afghanistan’s issue wasn’t one collapse. It was a string of small stalls. They never built a stand that forced Pakistan to rethink fields or break their bowling pattern. Pakistan mixed their seamers well, held nerve in the infield, and turned half-chances into dot-ball pressure. On a night with improving batting conditions, that kind of control is gold.
What stood out about Pakistan’s batting was the shape. They didn’t blast 70 in the powerplay or hoard wickets for a final sprint; they did a bit of both and stayed in a good scoring window throughout. Agha Salman’s role at No. 4 or 5 continues to make sense—he’s tidy against spin, happy to take deep midwicket out of play, and quick enough between the wickets to keep fielders guessing. When he finishes not out, usually it means Pakistan judged the tempo right.
The surface played to type. Sharjah under lights can be two-paced early before greasing up as the night wears on. Spinners get grip if they bowl into the pitch, but miss by a fraction and the short square boundaries punish you. Seamers who hit the deck hard thrive late, especially with the older ball skidding. Pakistan’s quicks leaned into that profile. Afghanistan’s seamers needed wickets in the first six overs to keep a lid on Pakistan’s hitters; they didn’t get them, and the innings kept expanding.
Beyond the wicket tally, Rauf’s spells were about timing. He didn’t just clean up the tail; he took wickets when Afghanistan were stretching for momentum. He hit that awkward fourth-stump channel at high pace and followed with the yorker when batters expected the slower ball. This is the kind of night Pakistan want from him in tournament play—impact overs, not just tidy figures.
Afghanistan will know the fix is structural. Rahmanullah Gurbaz is a tone-setter at the top, but he needs a partner glued to the plan—strike rotation in the powerplay, boundary hunting off the fifth and sixth balls, and clean hands against the ball that holds. They also need a designated finisher ahead of Rashid, someone who can ride the 13th to 17th-over window without burning through deliveries. The more Rashid comes in with 35 off 18 needed instead of 60 off 24, the more useful his late hitting becomes.
For Pakistan, it’s nitpicks. The middle overs can still tighten up if they toggle matchups too eagerly. They’ll also want one top-order batter to go deeper when the pitch is flat because it changes the final 30 balls completely. But as far as first nights go, this was neat: runs on the board, quality death bowling, and a clean fielding night under pressure.
The points table already tells a small story. Pakistan sit top with 2 points and a net run rate of +1.950. Afghanistan trail with 0 points and -1.950. The UAE, yet to play, have the advantage of watching both rivals upfront and shaping plans for back-to-back meetings. In a short round-robin where the top two make the final, every over matters. Net run rate can swing a spot on the last night.
There’s also the Sharjah factor. Pakistan and Afghanistan have shared a string of tense finishes here over the years, with crowds pulling energy into the contest. This one was more decisive, but you could still feel that old edge as Rashid went big late. Expect that to return when they meet again in the second round, especially if Afghanistan bat with more intent in the first six.
The schedule is brisk. Pakistan face the United Arab Emirates on August 30 in prime time—local listings put that start at 8:30 PM—while other nights are slated around a 7:00 PM first ball. After UAE vs Afghanistan on September 1, the second leg of the round-robin resets the matchups before the final on September 7. All games are night fixtures at Sharjah, which means dew, wet balls for spinners, and late zip for the quicks.
UAE will not be a token presence here. Muhammad Waseem’s side is experienced at home and used to short-turnaround tournaments. Asif Khan’s hitting power, Haider Ali’s range against pace, and Junaid Siddique’s control with the new ball give them weapons on this surface. If they rattle a top order or ride a powerplay burst, the table can get messy quickly. For Pakistan, that second game is a chance to cement a final berth early. For Afghanistan, the UAE clash could be a must-win by the time it arrives.
What should each team tweak? Pakistan can double down on their powerplay bowling plans and protect the mid-off and mid-on singles when the ball stops. With the bat, getting a left-right pair through the seventh to tenth over could flip matchups in their favor. Afghanistan need clearer roles: one opener owns strike rotation, the other owns boundary pressure; a middle-order stabilizer bats to the 17th; Rashid and the hitters fill the last three overs. With the ball, they have to break partnerships around the ninth and 13th over—those are inflection points on this ground.
Key numbers from the opener paint the outline: Pakistan 182/7; Agha Salman 53* off 36; Haris Rauf 4/31 in 3.5; Afghanistan 143 all out; Rashid Khan 39 off 16; margin 39 runs; Pakistan’s NRR +1.950. That’s a solid platform to build a campaign, but it’s just one notch in a week where momentum can flip in two sessions of play.
The bigger takeaway? Pakistan arrived with a plan and executed it at tournament speed. Afghanistan had their sparks but not the structure to sustain them. With Sharjah serving up familiar conditions, the next three fixtures will be about who adapts quicker and who wins the pressure overs. If the first night is any guide, there’s enough here to keep every game live into the closing stretch.
What it means for the tri-series
Pakistan’s early points and strong net run rate give them breathing space. They can rotate if needed against UAE, test a bowling combination, or hand a specialist a defined role without risking the table. For Afghanistan, the path is straightforward: fix the start with the bat, hunt early wickets with the ball, and make Rashid’s batting a bonus, not a bailout. The UAE, at home and unburdened by expectations, are perfectly placed to disrupt both.
By the time the second round starts, we’ll know a lot more about who has the sharper middle-overs plan and which attack handles the wet ball better at night. For now, Pakistan own the opening act in Sharjah—and in a short series, that ownership often lasts longer than one game.