Rashid Khan suffered a personal loss last week as his elder brother, Haji Abdul Halim Shinwari, died. Many Afghanistan players shared the news on X. “Saddened to hear about the passing of Rashid Khan’s elder brother Haji Abdul Halim. An elder brother is like a father to the family. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un. My heartfelt condolences to @rashidkhan_19 and his family,” wrote Ibrahim Zadran, a member of the current Afghanistan cricket team, on X.
Saddened to hear about the passing of Rashid Khan’s elder brother Haji Abdul Halim. An elder brother is like a father for the family.
Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un.
My heartfelt condolences to @rashidkhan_19 and his family. pic.twitter.com/69SIHucffo
— Ibrahim Zadran (@IZadran18) August 25, 2025
Former Afghanistan player Asghar Afghan also shared the news: “It is with deep sorrow that I learned of the passing of the elder brother of @rashidkhan_19 (Haji Abdul Halim Shinwari). May Allah grant him the highest ranks of Paradise (Jannat al-Firdaus) and bestow beautiful patience upon their esteemed family. Ameen.”
Now, in a viral video clip, the Pakistan cricket team can be seen paying tribute to Rashid’s elder brother after the 1st T20I of a tri-series that started on Friday.
Pakistan team offers condolences and prayers on the death of Rashid Khan’s elder brother. #PakistanCricket #RashidKhan pic.twitter.com/gxwvXyYdnG
— Ahtasham Riaz (@ahtashamriaz22) August 29, 2025
Talking about the match, Pakistan’s all-round display took the limelight as Afghanistan crumbled to a 39-run defeat, just over a week before the Asia Cup, at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
While chasing a 183-run target in the tri-nation series opener, Afghanistan were jolted early when Ibrahim Zadran (9) was bamboozled by a searing inswinging yorker from Shaheen Shah Afridi — a trademark of the left-arm speedster.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz upped the ante with aggressive strokeplay in the powerplay. He shuffled across the crease and whipped tearaway Haris Rauf over the deep backward square-leg fence with sheer power, lifting Afghanistan to 50/1 at the end of the first six overs.
Gurbaz’s belligerent approach ultimately led to his downfall. Attempting a sweep against Mohammad Nawaz, he missed and saw the stumps shattered, departing for 38 off 27 balls.
The floodgates opened, and the game-changing moment came from Rauf’s fiery spell. He cranked up the pace and bowled a double-wicket maiden over in the 12th, removing Sediqullah Atal (23) and Karim Janat (0).
Sufiyan Muqeem cast a spell with his left-arm wrist spin, luring Darwish Rasooli (21) into chipping the ball back into his hands.
The wicket slowed down significantly, which drastically reduced Afghanistan’s chances of pulling off a heist. From 93/2, they collapsed to 97/7 as the required rate soared beyond reach.
Rashid played an entertaining cameo of 39 off 16 balls before holing out to Hasan Nawaz, as Afghanistan eventually succumbed to a 39-run defeat.
Earlier in the contest, the coin spun in Pakistan’s favour, and they opted to bat on a Sharjah pitch that bore little resemblance to its usual nature. Fakhar Zaman (20) and Sahibzada Farhan (21) got off to starts but failed to convert them.
Saim Ayub remained scratchy and eventually perished to Afghanistan skipper and premier spinner Rashid Khan. With Pakistan reeling at 63/3 in 7.3 overs, a captain’s knock was the need of the hour — and Salman Ali Agha delivered.
Salman rose to the occasion, finding the boundary at will. His brisk unbeaten 53 off 36 deliveries, laced with three fours and as many towering sixes, set the tone for Pakistan.
Mohammad Nawaz (21 off 11) and Faheem Ashraf (14 off 5) played impactful cameos to propel Pakistan to a daunting total of 182/7 — a target that proved too much for Afghanistan in the end.