Windies lose to Afghanistan but still top World T20 group

Afghanistan, who lost the toss and were sent in to bat, rode an unbeaten 48 off 40 balls by Najibullah Zadran to post 123-7 in Nagpur and held their nerve to register their first win in Group One and ruin their opponents' 100 percent record.





West Indies had already qualified for the semi-finals before the game and still finished top of the group ahead of England with a superior net run rate despite the defeat.

"Obviously we are disappointed, but there's no doubt we are not going to let this dampen our spirits," Windies' Darren Sammy told reporters.

Leg-spinner Samuel Badree decimated Afghanistan's top order, taking three wickets for 14 runs to leave them struggling on 52 for four in the 10th over, but man-of-the-match Zadran got four fours and a six at No. 6 to guide them to a competitive total.

Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan were the pick of Afghanistan's bowlers, taking two wickets apiece after left-arm spinner Amir Hamza got the early breakthrough.

Leg-spinner Khan caught Evin Lewis -- in for the rested Chris Gayle -- off a Hamza delivery for a duck in the third over to leave the Windies at 17-1, while off-spinner Nabi got top-scorer Dwayne Bravo lbw on 28.

Andre Fletcher retired hurt with a hamstring problem, but was forced to return at the death as Afghanistan's spinners kept picking off the Windies' batsmen.

Khan bowled Marlon Samuels on five and got Denesh Ramdin stumped on 18 to keep the pressure on and combined with wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad to run-out Andre Russell at the non-striker's end on seven after a mix-up with Sammy.

Nabi then struck again to see off the big-hitting Carlos Brathwaite, who smashed two sixes in the penultimate over to leave his team needing 10 runs off the last six balls.

Zadran played a major part in Brathwaite's demise, taking a brilliant running catch to send the danger man back to the pavilion for 13 as the Windies ran out of steam.





(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; Editing by Ken Ferris)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world