After posting a competitive 169-5, Afghanistan — who beat the United Arab Emirates on Monday — restricted Pakistan to 151-9 with disciplined bowling and sharp fielding.

Pakistan had beaten Afghanistan in the tri-series opener on Friday but were second best this time.

They faltered at regular intervals in their chase with early strikes from Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-21) removing openers Sahibzada Farhan (18) and Saim Ayub, before Fakhar Zaman’s 25 kept the innings afloat.

But the middle order failed to capitalise with Salman Agha (20), Hasan Nawaz (nine), and Mohammad Nawaz (12) all going cheaply.

Rashid Khan (2-30) and Noor Ahmad (2-20) tightened the screws in middle overs, while experienced Mohammad Nabi (2-20) dismissed key batters.

Pakistan slumped to 111-9 in the 17th over, before Haris Rauf’s blistering 34 not out off 16 balls offered late fireworks.

Earlier, Afghanistan’s top order flourished through a superb partnership between Sediqullah Atal (64 off 45) and Ibrahim Zadran (65 off 45) despite the early loss of opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

The duo stitched together 113 runs for the second wicket, setting a strong foundation. Despite a late wobble caused by Faheem Ashraf (4-27), Afghanistan eventually had enough on the board and joined Pakistan with two wins from three matches.

“I think 170 was gettable,” rued Pakistan skipper Salman. “I thought the bowlers did a good job. We lost too many wickets in the middle overs. After eight overs, we were going well but we lost many wickets.

“When you lose that many wickets, it becomes very difficult. The Afgha­nistan spinners are quality spinners. If you give any sniff to them, they are good enough to grab it. If we did not lose that many wickets in the middle overs, it could have been a different story.”

Pakistan had won the first meeting between the teams in the competition by 31 runs.

On Tuesday, Nabi grabbed 2-20 to help restrict Pakistan to 151-9 as they chased 169.

Ibrahim Zadran’s 45-ball 65 and Sediqullah Atal’s brisk 64 helped Afghanistan to 169-5 in their 20 overs despite Pakistan paceman Faheem Ashraf’s career best 4-27.

Ashraf’s previous best of 3-5 was against Scotland at Edinburgh in 2018.

In reply, Pakistan briefly looked on course to chase down the target with Fakhar Zaman scoring an 18-ball 25 in his 100th T20I but Nabi dismissed him and Mohammad Haris, for oner, to end all hopes.

Tail-ender Haris Rauf top-scored with 34 not out, hitting four sixes off 16 balls.

Spinner Rashid Khan, until Tuesday the only Afghanistan bowler to take 100 or more T20I wickets, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Noor Ahmad all took two wickets.

Before the T20 international, players observed a minute of silence for the victims of natural disasters in their countries: an earthquake which has killed more than 1,400 in Afghanistan and the deadly floods in Pakistan.

Two thirds of the way through the three-nation tournament, that also includes hosts United Arab Emirates, Pakistan leads the table with Afghanistan second.

After a rest day on Wednesday, Pakistan face the winless UAE on Thursday. The group stage ends with the hosts taking on Afghanistan.

The top two teams playithe final on September 7.

Chasing a daunting 170-run target, Pakistan’s batting unit could accumulate 151/9 in their set of 20 overs.

The Green Shirts had a dismal start to the pursuit as they lost both their openers – Saim Ayub (zero) and Sahibzada Farhan (18) – inside four overs with just 29 runs on the board.

Following the early hiccup, experienced top-order batter Fakhar Zaman and skipper Salman Ali Agha attempted to launch a recovery and had put together 33 runs for the third wicket before both perished in successive overs, reducing Pakistan to 67/4 in 8.3 overs.

Fakhar remained a notable run-getter for Pakistan with an 18-ball 25, featuring three fours and a six, while Agha made 20 off 15 deliveries with the help of one six and a four.

The back-to-back dismissals triggered a match-defining collapse, which further reduced Pakistan to 111/9 in 17 overs.

Tailenders Haris Rauf and Sufiyan Muqeem offered brief resistance at the backend by putting together an unbeaten 40-run partnership for the 10th wicket, which, however, was insufficient to steer them to glory.

Rauf, who dominated the sensational stand, top-scored for Pakistan with 34 not out from just 16 deliveries with the help of four sixes, while Muqeem contributed with an unbeaten seven.

For Afghanistan, Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi bagged two wickets each.Opting to bat first, Afghanistan racked up a massive total of 169/5 in their allotted 20 overs, courtesy of a monumental second-wicket partnership between Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal.

Afghanistan got off to a shaky start to their innings as Saim Ayub dismissed their explosive opening batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz (eight) in the second over with just 10 runs on the board.

Following the early stutter, Zadran joined Atal in the middle, and together they raised 113 runs during their second-wicket partnership.

The century-plus stand was eventually broken by Faheem Ashraf in the 16th over when he got Atal caught at long-on. The left-handed opener smashed three fours and as many sixes on his way to a 45-ball 64.

Faheem picked two more wickets in his next overs, dismissing Azmatullah Omarzai and set batter Zadran, and reduced Afghanistan to 146/4 in 17.5 overs.

Zadran remained the top-scorer for Afghanistan with 65 off 45 deliveries, laced with eight fours and a six.

The right-arm pacer then dismissed veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi (six) in the final over to round up his career-best bowling figures of 4/27.

Skipper Rashid Khan and fellow all-rounder Karim Janat remained unbeaten on eight each.

Besides Faheem, Saim Ayub was the only wicket-taker for Pakistan, making one scalp for 18 runs in his four overs.

The wily 26-year-old took 3-21 — reaching 165 wickets in his 98th T20I — to derail UAE from 90-2 to 150-8 in 20 overs after setting them 189 to win in the tri-series match.

Afghanistan’s total of 188-4 was built around a brilliant 40-ball 63 from Ibrahim Zadran and a 40-ball 54 by Sediqullah Atal as they came back after losing to Pakistan in their first game.

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem scared Afghanistan with a rapid-fire 37-ball 67, comprising six maximums and four boundaries in his 23rd T20I half-century.

But Waseem’s departure sparked a collapse as Rashid dismissed Ethan D’Souza (12), Asif Khan (one) and Dhruv Parashar (one) to overhaul New Zealand pacer Tim Southee’s T20I record of 164 wickets in 126 games.

Afghanistan owed their total to Zadran and Atal as they added 84 for the second wicket after being put in to bat.

Atal’s maiden T20I fifty had four boundaries and three sixes, while Zadran kno­cked four sixes and three hits to the rope.

Karim Janat hit two sixes and as many boundaries in his 10-ball 23 not out while Azmatullah Omarzai’s undefeated 12-ball 20 contained two sixes.

Muhammad Rohid and Saghir Khan grabbed two wickets apiece for UAE.

In Starc’s absence, selectors on Tuesday named a squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand.

Across 65 T20 Internationals, Starc claimed 79 wickets, placing him second on Australia’s all-time list behind Adam Zampa and highlighting his key role in the national setup.

Starc said: “Test cricket has always been my top priority.

I have cherished every T20 game I’ve played for Australia, especially the 2021 World Cup not just for the victory, but for the incredible team spirit and the fun along the way.

“Looking ahead to the away tour of India, the Ashes, and the 2027 ODI World Cup, this decision allows me to stay fresh, fit, and at my best for those campaigns. It also gives the bowling group time to prepare for the T20 World Cup in the lead-up matches.”

Chair of national selectors George Bailey commented, “Mitch should be extremely proud of his T20 career with Australia.

He was a vital part of the 2021 World Cup-winning squad and, across formats, has had an exceptional talent for changing games with his wicket-taking ability.”

“We will acknowledge and celebrate his T20 career at the right time, but pleasingly he remains focused on continuing to play Test and ODI cricket for a long as possible.”

Cricket Australia CEO Todd Greenberg praised Starc’s T20 career and decision to focus on Test and ODI cricket for the foreseeable future.

“It’s important to Mitch at this time of his career to make decisions which allow him to extend his Test and ODI careers as long as possible, which we fully support,” he said.

“Mitch has prioritised playing for his country and made significant sacrifices.

To allow the next crop of fast bowlers a clear path to the T20 World Cup early next year is another example of putting team first.”

The New Zealand squad includes left-armer Ben Dwarshuis, a standout against South Africa, alongside Josh Hazlewood and Sean Abbott.

Nathan Ellis misses the tour for the birth of his and wife Connie’s first child.

Mitch Owen returns from being concussed in the second game against South Africa, with Matt Short named to return from a side strain.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis returns to the squad.

Pat Cummins will miss the series as part of his ongoing management plan leading into the summer.

Cummins was rested from the recent T20 series against the West Indies and South Africa.

Despite this planned de-load period, Cummins has experienced some ongoing lower back pain following the West Indies Test tour.

Further investigation has identified a level of lumbar bone stress that will require further management over the coming months.

Cummins won’t be considered for the upcoming limited-overs series against India and will continue his rehabilitation plan with a return to bowling to be determined as part of his Ashes preparation.

Australian T20 Squad:

Mitchell Marsh (Perth Scorchers/Fremantle Cricket Club) (c)

Sean Abbott (Sydney Sixers/Parramatta District Cricket Club)

Xavier Bartlett (Brisbane Heat/Gold Coast Cricket Club)

Tim David (Hobart Hurricanes/Claremont-Nedlands Cricket Club)

Ben Dwarshuis (Sydney Sixers/Sutherland Cricket Club)

Josh Hazlewood (Sydney Sixers/ St George Cricket Club)

Travis Head (Adelaide Strikers/Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club)

Josh Inglis (Perth Scorchers/Joondalup Cricket Club)

Matt Kuhnemann (Brisbane Heat/Clarence Cricket Club)

Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars/Fitzroy Doncaster Cricket Club)

Mitchell Owen (Hobart Hurricanes/New Town Cricket Club)

Matthew Short (Adelaide Strikers/Northcote Cricket Club)

Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars/Scarborough Cricket Club)

Adam Zampa (Melbourne Renegades/Sutherland Cricket Club)