Afghanistan reboosted their net run rate with a thumping 62-run win against Namibia in Match 27 of the Men's T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.
Defending 161, Naveen-ul-Haq (3-27) outfoxed Craig Williams and Michael van Lingen in successive overs to give Afghanistan an excellent start despite Mujeeb Ur Rahman’s absence. Namibia kept losing wickets in regular intervals, and the chances of reaching the target seemed to be slim with time.
Rashid Khan got Zane Green with his first ball, and returned figures of 4-0-14-1. Hamid Hassan (3-9), who came in for Mujeeb, ripped through Namibia’s heart by dismissing their three key players – Gerhard Erasmus (12), J.J. Smit and David Wiese (26) – with brute pace.
Namibia were left reeling at 36/4, and then 80/9. Ruben Trumpelmann and Bernard Scholtz batted the final 21 balls to avoid the all-out. They only managed 98/9, their second-lowest total in T20Is.
It is worth a mention that Afghanistan, who are known for their spin-dependent bowling unit, took eight Namibian wickets with pace, their highest in a T20I innings.
Earlier in the game, Mohammad Nabi (32* in 17 balls) powered Afghanistan to 160/5 after opting to bat. He and Asghar Afghan (31 in 23), who was his last international match, scored 46 off the last four overs to give Afghanistan a strong finish.
Hazratullah Zazai (33) and Mohammad Shahzad (45) had got them off to a rollicking start, aggregating 50 in the Powerplay without losing any wicket, but Namibia roared back after the fielding restrictions were lifted. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran were both dismissed leg-before by Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (2-21) cheaply, reducing Afghanistan to 113/4 in 15.4 overs. Afghan and Nabi took charge from there.
Trumpelmann picked two wickets, but conceded 34. Jan Frylinck and Wiese went wicketless.
Brief scores: Afghanistan 160/5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 45; Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 2-21) beat Namibia 98/9 in 20 overs (David Wiese 26; Hamid Hassan 3-9) by 62 runs. Player of the Match: Naveen-ul-Haq.