ABU DHABI: In a crucial match played at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan defeated Namibia by 62 runs and gained two more points and took second place in the group-B of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup here on Sunday.
Both sides met for the first time in any T20 match. Instead of Afghanistan’s spinners, fast bowlers wreaked havoc and did not allow Namibia batsmen to run. In pursuit of 161, Namibia scored 98 runs for the loss of 9 wickets in 20 overs.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat first with Hazaratullah Zazai scored 33 runs, laced with a dashing four boundaries and two sixes and was caught by Michael van Lingen off J. Smith.
Zazai faced 27 balls in his 33 runs innings. After that, Rehmanullah Gurbaz could not stay on the wicket for long and caught lbw by scoring only four runs. Nicol Loftie-Eaton claimed his wicket.
After three over Muhammad Shehzad, the Afghan opener, also got out after scoring 45 runs on 33 balls. Muhammad Shehzad smashed an elegant three fours and two sixes. Shehzad was caught out by Bernard Scholtz off Ruben Trumpelmann.
After the fall of three wickets for 89 runs, both Najibullah Zardan and Asghar Afghan had a partnership of 25 runs for the fourth wickets wherein facing 18 balls only. They steered the team total to 113 for three.
On 113 runs Naibullah Zardan gone lbw off Nicol Loftie-Eaton. Najibullah scored seven runs only. In 19th over Asghar Afghan got out after scoring 31 runs off 23 balls included three fours and a six. He was caught Michael van Lingen when the total was 148 runs for 5 in 19 overs.
In the last overs, Mohammad Nabi added 12 runs to take the team to 160 for five. Mohammad Nabi played an unbeaten innings of 32 off 17 balls with the help of five fours and one towering six to the long on boundary. Nicol Loftie-Eaton was the best bowler who took two for wickets 21 run his four over spell, Ruben Trumpelmann also took two wickets for 34 runs in his four over spell. J Smith struck out one for 34 runs.
In reply, to 161 runs target of Afghanistan, the Namabia openers gone early with Greg Williams was dismissed for one in the first over on fourth delivery. In the third over, Naveenul Haq also caught Michael Van Langen for 11 off Hamid Hassan. The team’s total score was 16 runs for two in three overs. In the sixth over second delivery Nicol Loftie-Eaton was bowled by Gulbadin Naib and thus Namibia lost the third wicket on 29 runs.
Nicol Loftie Eaton hit 14 runs off 16 balls with one towering six. In the eight over Namibia’s wicket-keeper batsman Zane Green was bowled out by Rashid Khan when the team total was 36 runs only, thus Namibia was losing the fourth wicket.
In the 11th over Hamid Hassan got two wickets first he claimed the wicket of skipper Gerhard Erasmus on his 12 runs and then got J Smith wicket, who was caught by wicket-keeper Shehzad on no score.
With the loss of 6 wickets for 56 runs in 11 overs, it kept Namibia batsmen under tremendous pressure. The only hope of victory was the experienced David Wiese also played well and added some runs to the team total.
Namibia lost another wicket when Jan Frylinck was caught by Nabi off Naveen Ul Haq on 6 when the team total was 69 runs in 15th over. It was Naveed Ul Haq fifth ball of third over, taking two wickets – one in the first over and the over in the second over.
In the 16th over Pikky Ya France was caught and bowled by Gulbadin and in the next over only David Wiese bowled by Hamid Hassan on his elegant knock of 26 runs off 30 balls including two boundaries.
They then held Namibia to 98-9 and registered their second win by 62 runs as seamers Hamid Hassan and Naveen-ul-Haq both took three wickets.
Teams
NAMIBIA TEAM: Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (C), David Wiese, J Smit, Zane Green (WK), Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz.
AFGHANISTAN TEAM: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (WK), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (C), Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan.