Afghanistan won their 2nd T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12s match on Sunday, 31 October. Mohammad Nabi’s side thrashed Namibia by 62 runs in Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium. Their net run rate of 3.097 is likewise the highest in Group 2. Namibia, led by Gerhard Erasmus, had won 3 consecutive games before falling short against the Afghans.
After electing to bat first, the Afghans amassed a respectable total of 160 for the loss of five wickets. Openers Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad got the squad off to a solid start, putting up 53 runs off 40 balls. JJ Smit provided Namibia their first breakthrough, dismissing the fearsome Zazai, who hit a 27-ball 33 that included 4 fours and 2 major sixes.
Shahzad was the most aggressive of the 2, scoring a 33-ball 45 that included three fours and two sixes. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Najibullah Zadran were easily defeated. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton took both wickets and concluded with a 5.25 economy rate. In his last international outing, Asghar Afghan scored 31 runs. Mohammad Nabi remained undefeated with 32 runs from 17, including 5 fours and one six.
Namibia got off to a bad start, scoring 29 runs and losing 3 wickets in the powerplay. Gulbadin Naib took the wicket of Loftie-Eaton when Naveen-ul-Haq was dismissing Craig Williams and Michael van Lingen. After Hamid Hassan drove Gerhard Erasmus’s to return to the room, Namibia lost the majority of their team. Soon later, the clever Rashid Khan easily defended Zane Green, thereby ending his stay.
Smit was great with the ball, but he couldn’t get going with the bat. Jan Frylinck and Pikky Ya France didn’t do any better. David Wiese, on the other hand, looked steady amidst the wicket-taking. After Hassan shook his woodwork, Wiese’s vigil came to a close. Naveen and Hassan both took 3 wickets each. Gulbadin was outstanding, finishing with 4-0-19-1 statistics.
