Naseem Shah's Late Show Takes Pakistan To Dramatic Victory Over Afghanistan

Number ten batsman Naseem Shah hit a boundary off the penultimate delivery to give Pakistan a dramatic one-wicket win over a luckless Afghanistan in the second ODI at Hambantota on Thursday. The 20-year-old miscued a boundary off fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi and ran jubilantly towards the dressing room as Pakistan scored 11 off the final over to finish with 302-9 in 49.5 overs. The victory gave Pakistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series with the last game in Colombo on Saturday.

Pakistan's late surge overshadowed Afghanistan opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz's career-best run-a-ball 151 that lifted his team to 300-5 in their 50 overs.

The final two overs of Pakistan's chase were full of drama.

Shadab Khan hit Abdul Rahman for a four and a six off the last two balls of the 49th over.

Farooqi ran out Shadab at the non-striker's end at the start of the last over with a Mankad dismissal.

Naseem came in and hit the first ball he faced for four and did the same off the fifth delivery to win the game.

Naseem had hit the same bowler for two last over sixes to give Pakistan victory by one wicket in the Asia Cup Twenty20 game in Sharjah last year.

Shadab, whose 35-ball 48 contained three fours and a six, revived Pakistan's chase in the final overs after his team fell to 258-7.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq's 105-ball 91 with four fours set the platform.

Haq shared a robust 52-run stand with fellow opener Fakhar Zaman (30) and another of 118 runs for the second wicket with skipper Babar Azam who made a 66-ball 53 with six boundaries.

From 170-1 in the 31st over, Afghanistan hit back by grabbing five wickets in 41 runs to push Pakistan to 211-6.

Farooqi had Azam caught off a miscued flick. Spinner Mohammad Nabi had Agha Salman (14)