Mohammad Nawaz joins elite list of T20I hat-trick takers for Pakistan

SHARJAH: Pakistan left-arm spinner Mohammad Nawaz joined an exclusive club on Sunday, claiming a hat-trick in the final of the tri-nation T20I series against Afghanistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Chasing a target of 142, Afghanistan struggled from the start, thanks to Nawaz’s brilliant bowling. He finished with outstanding figures of 5/19 in his four-over quota, helping Pakistan secure a commanding 75-run victory.

Nawaz came into the attack in the final over of the powerplay and immediately made an impact, dismissing Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai on consecutive deliveries, turning the game in Pakistan’s favor.

On the first ball of his next over, he trapped Ibrahim Zadran to complete his hat-trick.

This made him the third Pakistani to achieve a T20I hat-trick, following Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Hasnain.

Hat-tricks for Pakistan in T20Is:

• Faheem Ashraf vs Sri Lanka, 2018
• Mohammad Hasnain vs Sri Lanka, 2019
• Mohammad Nawaz vs Afghanistan, 2025

Chasing 142, Afghanistan crumbled for 66. Shaheen Afridi removed opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for five in the first over, setting the tone.

Sediqullah Atal fell for 13 to Abrar Ahmed, and Nawaz struck twice in one over, dismissing Darwish Rasooli and Azmatullah Omarzai.

Nawaz then struck twice again in one over and completed his hat-trick by dismissing Ibrahim Zadran, before picking up his fourth wicket by removing Karim Janat, reducing Afghanistan to 32-6.

Abrar Ahmed and Sufiyan Muqeem also claimed two wickets each.

Pakistan’s innings saw early wickets, with Sahibzada Farhan dismissed for a duck. Saim Ayub (17) and Fakhar Zaman (27) offered resistance before falling to spinners.

Skipper Salman Ali Agha and Nawaz added 40 runs to stabilize the innings, with Nawaz contributing 25. Pakistan set a target of 141-8.

Rashid Khan took 3/38, while Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, and AM Ghazanfar claimed the remaining wickets.