ISLAMABAD: Rain washed away the T20 World Cup 2022 warmup fixture between Pakistan and Afghanistan at Brisbane on Wednesday.
Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi returned to form by taking two important wickets with Haris Rauf also pitching in with two wickets of his own to restrict Afghanistan to a modest total.
Pakistan were 19/0 after 2.2 overs before rain interrupted play at Brisbane. “Match has been called off due to uninterrupted rain,” the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) wrote on Twitter.
Earlier, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam won the toss and elected to field against Afghanistan. Fast bowler Afridi struck early, dismissing dangerous openers Hazratullah Zazai and Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 9 and 0 respectively.
Rauf dismissed Darwish Rasooli quickly, as Afghanistan reeled at 19/3. Ibrahim Zadran scored a respectable 39 from 34 balls while Mohammad Nabi was the star of the Afghanistan batting lineup, scoring an unbeaten 51 from 37 balls.
Afghanistan captain Nabi smashed five boundaries and a six during his innings.
Afghanistan finished at 154/6 after 20 overs with Afridi and Rauf finishing with figures of 2/29 and 2/34 respectively. Mohammad Nawaz was economical with his two overs, giving away only 9 runs and picking up a wicket as well.
Pakistan were beaten comprehensively by England in their last warmup match against the two sides on Monday. Pakistan scored 160/8 from their 20 overs while England chased the target in the 15th over of the match, winning the game by six wickets.
The green shirts take on traditional cricket rivals India on October 23 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).