Last year in the Asia Cup, Pakistan and Afghanistan produced a nail-biting encounter in the Super 4 stage. A one wicket win for the men in green in the final over of the contest. As the two teams took the field on Thursday in Hambantota in the second of the three ODIs ahead of the Asia Cup, Pakistan scripted a similar win. A finish brimming with drama, again. With 11 runs required off the last over - in pursuit of 301 - Naseem Shah was on strike, while Shadab Khan (48 off 35) stood at the non-striker's end. The latter had pulled Abdul Rahman for a six on the last ball of the penultimate over and looked keen on retaining the strike as Fazalhaq Farooqi bursted in to bowl the first ball of the 50th over. But with Shadab advancing down his crease, the left arm quick used his wits and dislodged the bails to remove the batter in form out of equation. With one wicket left in Pakistan's kitty, Farooqi went again with take two of the first ball of the final over. Full and wide outside the off stump, right in the slot for Naseem Shah to crank it over extra cover for four. With just seven needed off the last five deliveries, Farooqi took the pace off the ball and gave just a single off his next two deliveries, bringing Pakistan number 11 Haris Rauf on strike. Against the tailender, Farooqi went quick, full and on the stumps to which Rauf responded with a slog. What was meant to be perhaps just a single, turned out to be a three for Pakistan as the fielder closing in from deep mid wicket misjudged the landing of the ball. Fortunately for Afghanistan, it wasn't a boundary as Noor Ahmed - running in from deep square leg - dived to his left to keep the ball in. With three needed off the last two deliveries, Farooqi switched to around the wicket against the right hander. His angled in delivery did induce an outside edge but the luck favored Pakistan as it ran down a vacant slip cordon/short third region for four. A second finish for Naseem Shah with the bat against Afghanistan. Last year at Sharjah, the prodigious pacer had smacked 14 off four deliveries to take his team across the line. The win meant Pakistan took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the ODI series. Afghanistan are yet to beat Pakistan in the 50-overs format. "It is hurting because we had enough runs but at the last moment they took the game away from us," the Afghan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi said post-match.
