UAE batter Asif Khan played a stunning knock in vain against Pakistan on Saturday (August 30).
Asif Khan hits lone-warrior knock of 77 off 35 against Pakistan
In the second match of the UAE-Pakistan-Afghanistan T20I tri-series in Sharjah, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha chose to bat first. Their innings was held together by opener Saim Ayub, who struck 69 off 38 balls even as the others in the top four all fell for single-digit scores.
Hassan Nawaz took over after Ayub's dismissal, hitting 56 off 26, including three consecutive sixes before he holed out off the bowling of Haider Ali. A late flourish from Mohammad Nawaz (25) and Faheem Ashraf (16) took them to 207.
Watch: 6,4,4,4: Babar Azam takes on Shoaib Akhtar in PSL exhibition match
UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem led the charge at the top, making his way to 33 off 18 before a mix-up with Ethan D'Souza saw him run out. The innings rather stagnated thereafter, and at 68-4 in 8.4 overs, Asif Khan came out to the middle.
Match 2, United Arab Emirates vs Pakistan
vs
- Ball by ball Over
He soon lost the company of Rahul Chopra, and Asif began slowly, taking 11 runs off his first 12 balls. In the 14th over, he scored 11 runs off Sufiyan Muqeem, and then went after Hasan Ali, hitting two sixes and a four.
The required run rate kept rising though, and by the time Asif hit four sixes across the 18th and 19th overs, the game was more or less done. UAE needed 37 off the final over, and Asif was dismissed after hitting one four, for 77 off 35 balls. His knock was the fastest fifty-plus score by an Associate player against a Full Member nation in men's T20Is.
Who is Asif Khan?
Born in Lahore, Asif played first-class cricket in Pakistan for Lahore Shalimar, Lahore Ravi, and Water and Power Development Authority, having represented the U19 national team prior to that.
Aged 27, he moved to the UAE in 2017 with the aim of qualifying for the national team via residency. He eventually made his international debut in 2022, in an ODI against Oman. The following year, Asif played in T20Is for the first time, against New Zealand.
In March 2023, Asif broke the record for the fastest ODI century by an Associate cricketer, with his 41-ball ton against Nepal in Kirtipur. The record until then had belonged to Ireland's Kevin O'Brien, who hit a 50-ball century against England at the 2011 World Cup.
Image credit: Youtube / Sports Central
Follow Wisden for all cricket updates, including live scores, match stats, quizzes and more. Stay up to date with the latest cricket news, player updates, team standings, match highlights, video analysis and live match odds.
