A great chase from Pakistan. With the win, it is three wins from three games for Pakistan and they are almost certain for a semifinal spot. Tough luck for Afghanistan, but they almost gave Pakistan a scare and pulled off an upset. They fought hard but it was not their day.
That would be all from the coverage of this match. Join us tomorrow. Goodbye for now!
Babar Azam, Pakistan captain:We started well with the ball, got a lot of wickets like we planned. Maybe gave away 10-15 runs too many at the end. With the bat, we couldn't capitalise the powerplay as we wanted to. At the end, with Malik and Asif Ali, we knew they could do the job. He (Asif Ali) is known for this and I was confident pre-tournament itself that he would deliver when needed. We planned our strategies well with the ball, and also ensured that he kept the uneven boundary dimensions in mind while bowling. Spinners were getting some grip from the track, Afghanistan have quality bowlers too and I was trying to take it as deep as possible. Unfortunately, I couldn't finish things off but credit to Asif Ali.
Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan captain:We didn't start well but the total on the board was a decent one for this pitch. We discussed that 150 would be a good score and so we dug deep. And then got some runs in the last few overs. I think three spinners are enough. Rashid bowled at the right time and we tried to take the game deep. Asif Ali played really well in the 19th over. Lot of positives from today's game. We fought really well till the end.
Pakistan batter Asif Ali wins the Player of the Match award for his stunning 25 from 7 balls which took Pakistan home.
Asif Ali: I would like to congratulate the Pakistan team and all our fans. I was confident of finishing it off from this end and that's what I told Shoaib Malik before he got out. I look at the situation of the match, and I target the bowlers accordingly. I was talking to Shoaib when I walked in to bat and I told him that I was confident enough of getting 20-25 in one over against Karim Janat, which I did.
Pakistan win by 5 wickets.
Janat to bowl the nineteenth over. PAK need 24 runs.
18.1Janat to Asif, SIX! Full ball wide of off stump, Asif blasts the ball over long-off for a maximum!!!!!
18.2Janat to Asif, no run, yorker on off stump, a swing and miss from Asif.
18.3Janat to Asif, SIX MORE! Short ball on off stump, Asif slogs the ball over deep mid-wicket for a maximum!!!!
PAK need 12 from 9!
18.4Janat to Asif,no run, full ball wide of off stump Asif fails to bring his bat down in time and the ball goes to the keeper.
18.5Janat to Asif, SIX! BOOM STRAIGHT DOWN THE GROUND!Full ball on middle stump, Asif slogs the ball over Janat and gets a maximum!!!!!!!
18.6Janat to Asif, SIX AND ASIF ALI SEALS THE MATCH FOR PAK WITH AN OVER TO SPARE! Full ball wide of off stump, Asif hammers the ball over cover and gets a biggie!!!!!