The International Cricket Council has revealed thousands of ticketless fans attempted to force their way into the stadium. The captain, Babar Azam, anchored Pakistan’s chase with a fluent 51 but it was Asif who smashed four sixes in the penultimate over from Karim Janat to clinch victory with six balls to spare. The 2009 champions restricted Afghanistan to 147 for six at Dubai International Stadium. Pakistan put one foot in the semi-finals of the Twenty20 World Cup as Asif Ali’s scintillating power-hitting secured a nervy five-wicket victory over Afghanistan in the Super 12 stage on Friday.
