Twitter reacts as Pakistan manage to clinch a thriller against Afghanistan

It was an edge-of-the-seat thriller at Leeds on Saturday as Pakistan locked horns with Afghanistan. While Sarfaraz Ahmed and his team had everything on the line to start with, Gulbadin Naib and Co had nothing to lose, having already been knocked out of the tournament. And given Pakistan's form in their previous games, the match was expected to be a pretty one-sided contest. However, what followed, proved to be a nerve-wracking affair.

Summary

Winning the toss and electing to bat first, Afghanistan managed to put up 227 runs on the board as Shaheen Afridi once again emerged as the chief destroyer with 4 wickets. Asghar Afghan and Najibullah Zadran scored 42 each to help their team register a decent score on a dry that was assisting the spinners.

Coming out to chase, Pakistan were struck with an early blow as Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman trapped Fakhar Zaman LBW on the second delivery of the first over. The innings then gathered momentum with Imam-Ul-Haq and Babar Azam stitching a 72-run partnership. But two quick strikes by Afghanistan's star bowler Mohammad Nabi, to dismiss Haq and Azam, meant the game was back in balance.

The Afghan spinners soon assumed full charge to tighten the screws on Pakistan's batting line-up. Runs dried up and pressure kept mounting on the Men in Green as the wickets kept tumbling in the middle.

It was not until Imad Wasim was joined by Shadab Khan that the game began to move in Pakistan's favour once again. Crucially, it was the 46th over of the innings that turned the game on its head. With spinner Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman and Samiullah Shinwari still having overs up their sleeves, captain Gulbadin Naib called himself on to bowl the critical over. However, the decision proved too costly for him and his team as Pakistan ended up scoring 18 runs off it to ease the pressue.

With 28 runs required off 24 deliveries, Shadab Khan was run out to keep Afghanistan in the game. The game eventually boiled down to the final over and Pakistan needed 6 runs off it with 3 wickets in hand. Gulbadin Naib once again took the onus to deliver the goods. The runs in the tank though proved to be too little for comfort though as Imad Wasim maintained his cool to guide his team to a memorable win.

Pakistan ended up winning the game by 3 wickets to stay alive in the competition. Afghanistan, on the other hand, fought valiantly to fall short of the margin yet again.

Twitter reacts

Match 36 of the ongoing World Cup had everything. With the players giving their best to keep the pendulum swinging, the game truly proved to be a thorough entertainer. And as usual, social media was set ablaze with numerous fans taking to Twitter to share their opinions on the thriller:

Captain @SarfarazA_54: It was not an easy pitch to bat on but, credit should go to @simadwasim for the way he batted till the end. #WeHaveWeWill #CWC19 #PAKvAFG pic.twitter.com/XYoij1QyqR

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) June 29, 2019

Just think about that injury to Hamid Hassan....little things that make a big difference in the end. #PakvAfg #CWC19

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) June 29, 2019

Heart still beating as fast as i've just bowled a 100 mph over.
In the end, barely managed to cross the line. Imad took responsibility & won it in the end, Shaheen going strong.
One step closer.
We need to continue supporting Afghanistan cricket as Pakistanis.#PAKvsAFG #CWC19

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) June 29, 2019

Looks like Gulbadin will be able to return safely to Afghanistan but he dare not come to India.

— Anand Ranganathan (@ARanganathan72) June 29, 2019

Afghanistan sacking Afghan, their captain for 4 years, and replacing him with Gulbadin on the brink of the World Cup, was remarkable. That's the sadness of Afghanistan's World Cup campaign: politics has dragged the team down, and they're performing under themselves.

— Tim (@timwig) June 29, 2019

Scenes outside the stadium after Pakistan's victory against Afghanistan at Leeds 🇵🇰👏#PAKvAFG #CWC19 #WeHaveWeWill #SarfarazAhmed pic.twitter.com/wlfNl0Qqe5

— Cricingif (@_cricingif) June 29, 2019

The Passion!!!! The Love & the Spirit Pakistan Zindabad ❤️🇵🇰 #PakvAfg pic.twitter.com/B5b4ku6gjh

— Ihtisham ul Haq (@iihtishamm) June 29, 2019

3️⃣ wins in a row for Pakistan 💪 #CWC19 | #PAKvAFG | #WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/LmfF9Ziwmi

— Cricket World Cup (@cricketworldcup) June 29, 2019

Congratulations Team Pakistan on winning a thriller. A step forward to get into final four. #PAKvAFG #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/RrwPJbDQ9w

— Govt of Pakistan (@pid_gov) June 29, 2019