DUBAI: When Pakistan began rebuilding their limited-overs team in the post-Shahid Afridi era, there was this debate surrounding the last remaining seniors like Mohammad Hafeez and Shoaib Malik.
Some argued that they should make way for new blood while others thought the team needed the seasoned duo. Hafeez, meanwhile, fell by the wayside due to issues related to his form and fitness. Malik, however, seems to have ended any debate surrounding his role in the team with a match-winning knock in a crucial Asia Cup encounter against Afghanistan at Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Friday night.
At a time when Pakistan were in clear and present danger of falling to the giant-killing Afghans, Malik used his used experience to take them past the finih line, earning valuable points for the team in the Super Fours stage a day before the big match against old rivals India. It was a see-saw game as Afghanistan overcame some early hiccups to post a challenging total of 257. Pakistan wobbled early but a 154-run partnership featuring Imam-ul-Haq and Babar Azam. But despite that stand, Pakistan were faced with a tricky task of getting 10 from the last five deliveries. It was Malik who stood up and hit a six and a four off successive final over deliveries to seal an important victory. The former Pakistan captain was hailed as a hero earning a chorus of praise lead by the legendary Wasim Akram who compared him to India’s MS Dhoni. But Malik’s heroics together with fine fifties from the young Imam and Babar were a few positives for Pakistan in what was an otherwise below-par showing by a team that is fancying its chances of not only winning this six-nation contest but also next year’s ICC World Cup in England. Pakistan’s catching was horrendous while their bowlers were also unable to impress much as they allowed Afghanistan to go past 257, the team’s highest total in the tournament so far.
Agencies add: Malik pulled the second ball of the final over by paceman Aftab Alam over the deep square leg boundary and then whacked the next to deep fine leg for a boundary as Pakistan pulled off a nerve-wracking three-wicket win Hashmatullah Shahidi missed out on a maiden hundred by a mere three runs but still steered Afghanistan to a challenging 257-6. Pakistan were off to a disastrous start when opener Fakhar Zaman was trapped leg-before off the sixth ball of the innings by spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman for nought.
Imam-ul-Haq scored a 104-ball 80 with five boundaries and a six while Babar Azam knocked an attractive 94-ball 66 with four boundaries and a six during their innings repairing the 154-run stand for the second wicket. But both fell within the space of four runs as spinner Rashid Khan (3-46) brought Afghanistan back in the game with the asking rate getting stiffer, as Pakistan needed 42 off the final five overs.
Despite losing skipper Sarfraz Ahmed (eight), Asif Ali (seven) and M Nawaz (10), Malik kept his cool to stop Afghanistan from posting their third-straight win after beating Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the first round.
Brief Scores: Afghanistan 257/6 in 50 overs (Hashmatullah Shahidi 97*, Asghar Afghan 67; M Nawaz 3-57, Shaheen Afridi 2-38) lost to Pakistan 258/7 in 49.3 overs (Imam-ul-Haq 80, Babar Azam 66, Shoaib Malik 51*; Rashid Khan 3-36, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2-33) by 3 wickets.