T20 World Cup: Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan apologises fans back home after defeat against Pakistan

Afghanistan leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who on Friday became the fastest bowler to pick 100 T20I wickets, offered an unconditional apology to the fans back home after their defeat against Pakistan in Dubai.

Rashid bagged the wickets of Hafeez and Babar Azam but was still unable to stop Pakistan from completing a 5-wicket win in Dubai.

Sorry to all the fans back home and all around the world not giving you victory to celebrate and bring smile on your faces BUT Your support and prayers will be imp for the rest of the games.Thank you everyone for your msges 100th T20 international wkts

AFGHANISTAN ZINDABAD pic.twitter.com/PAo5TRQpa0

— Rashid Khan (@rashidkhan_19) October 30, 2021

“Sorry to all the fans back home and all around the world not giving you victory to celebrate and bring smile on your faces,” Rashid Khan wrote on Twitter.

“BUT Your support and prayers will be important for the rest of the games.”

Veteran Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez became Rashid’s 100th T20I victim in his 53rd innings.

Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga had held the previous record by completing his century in 76 matches.

“Thank you everyone for your messages 100th T20 international wkts,” said Rashid.

Amid unbearable tension and a cacophony of noise, Afghanistan’s players were in sight of the biggest win in their country’s cricketing history.

With four aggressive strikes, Asif Ali took it away from them.

Pakistan’s power hitter smashed four sixes in the next-to-last over of a thrilling match at Dubai International Stadium to seal a five-wicket win over its plucky neighbor on Friday.

Set 148 to win, Pakistan appeared to be timing its chase to perfection, only to lose key batters Babar Azam (51) and Shoaib Malik (19) in the space of six balls and find itself needing 24 runs with two overs remaining.

They all came in one blazing six-ball spell that evoked memories of Carlos Braithwaite’s four straight sixes to seal the West Indies’ win over England in the 2016 final.

Taking on the medium pace of Karim Janat, Asif cleared the long-off boundary off the first ball, the midwicket boundary off the third ball and powered another six down the ground off the fifth ball.

With the six runs still needed to win, Asif gave himself room and crunched Janat’s sixth ball for six over extra cover to clinch a third straight win in the Super 12s for Pakistan, which had already dispatched India and New Zealand.

Asif finished on 25 not out off just seven balls and his team is now a big favorite to be one of the two semifinalists to come from Group 2, with Pakistan’s remaining games against qualifiers Namibia and Scotland.