India eliminated from Asia Cup 2022 as Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 1 wicket in thrilling Super 4 clash

Young fast bowler Naseem Shah turned out to be the hero with the bat for his country as he slammed two consecutive sixes against Fazalhaq Farooqi in the final over to take Pakistan home in a thrilling run chase in their Super Four clash against Afghanistan in the ongoing Asia Cup 2022 on Wednesday (September 07).

Defending a low-key total of 129 runs, Afghanistan nearly had the game in their bag when Pakistan required 11 runs off the 20th over with just one wicket in hand and two tail-enders out in the middle. However, number ten Naseem had other plans as he finished the game off in style with back-to-back sixes to take Pakistan into the final and set up a mouthwatering title clash with Sri Lanka.

Pakistan’s 1-wicket win against Afghanistan has also confirmed defending champions India’s exit from Asia Cup 2022. Afghanistan too have been dumped out of the race for the final after losing their first two Super Four games against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. They will now meet India in their last game on Thursday.

It was yet another action-packed game in Asia Cup as the low-scoring thriller went down the wire in Sharjah before Naseem pulled off an absolutely stunning victory for Pakistan. Chasing a mere 130, Pakistan got off to a poor start and were left reeling at 45/3 inside nine overs before Shadab Khan (36) combined with Iftikhar Ahmed (30) to add 42 runs for the fourth wicket and steady the ship for their team.

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Pakistan lost the plot after Ahmed’s departure in the 16th over as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. The Afghanistan bowlers did a stellar job to keep their team in the game till the final over with 11 runs to defend off the 20th. However, Farooqi, who had a great game until the final over, was smoked for two sixes by a tail-ender to end both India and Afghanistan’s hopes of qualifying for the final.

Pakistan’s victory confirms India’s exit

India had started the tournament as the titles favourites and the defending champions lived up to their tag in the group stage with two straight wins in their first two games. However, an injury to all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja forced them to change their team combination which saw their campaign getting derailed.

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India suffered a five-wicket defeat against Pakistan in their Super Four opener before suffering yet another loss in a similar fashion against Sri Lanka in their next game to stand on the brink of elimination. Their chances of making it to the final were slim after the two losses and their fate lied in the hands of other teams.

India needed Afghanistan to beat Pakistan on Wednesday to remain alive in the competition. However, Pakistan’s victory in Sharjah means they now have two wins from two games along with Sri Lanka, enough for both teams to reach the final. India and Afghanistan, with just one game remaining, will play against each other on Thursday in a dead rubber.