T20 World Cup: Asghar Afghan retires on a high as Afghanistan overpower Namibia at Abu Dhabi

Afghanistan beat Namibia by 62 runs at the T20 World Cup in Asghar Afghan's final match before retirement; Mohammad Shahzad top-scores with 45 as Afghanistan post 160-5 before restricting Namibia to 98-9 to secure their second win of the Super 12s

By Sam Drury

Thursday 20 July 2023 15:21, UK

Afghanistan gave former captain Asghar Afghan the perfect send-off with a comprehensive 62-run win over Namibia in his last game before retirement.

Afghan made 31 from 23 balls in his final innings of a 12-year international career and received a guard of honour from his teammates after being dismissed in the 19th over before being carried from the field at the end of the match.

Mohammad Shahzad (45 from 33), Hazratullah Zazai (33 from 27) and skipper Mohammad Nabi (32no from 17) also made useful contributions with the bat as Afghanistan posted 160-5 from their 20 overs before putting the squeeze on Namibia and restricting them to 98-9 in reply.

Afghanistan remain second in Group 2 after their second win in three games while Namibia suffer their first defeat, following victory over Scotland in their opening match of the Super 12s.

Having won the toss, Afghanistan again opted to bat first and got off to a flying start with openers Zazai and Shahzad taking them to 50-0 at the end of the powerplay.

JJ Smit removed Zazai in the seventh over and Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell in the 10th, lbw to Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (2-21) having struggled to get going, but Shahzad was striking it well.

The wicketkeeper-batter hit three fours and a pair of sixes in his 33-ball knock and, even after his dismissal, Afghanistan had the momentum to push on late in the innings with Afghan and, in particular, Nabi successfully getting after the Namibia bowlers to take their side to a very competitive total.

Namibia lost opener Craig Williams four balls into their chase, caught at mid-on to give Naveen-ul-Haq (3-26) the first of his three wickets in the innings and that set the tone for what followed.

Afghanistan's bowlers seemed to have a vice-like grip on the contest and when Rashid Khan (1-14) bowled Zane Green with his first ball, Namibia were 36-4.

If it was not game over then, it certainly was when Hamid Hassan (3-9) removed Namibia skipper Gerhard Erasmus and Smit in the 12th over to make it 56-6 and after Gulbadin Naib (2-19) had accounted for Jan Frylinck and Pikky Ya France, the seamer returned to bowl David Wiese (26) with a well-executed yorker.

Nos 10 and 11, Ruben Trumpelmann and Bernard Scholtz, did manage to bat out the remaining 3.1 overs with the result already beyond doubt before, with victory confirmed, Afghanistan's players lifted Afghan onto their shoulders and carried him from the middle - a fitting tribute to one of the country's finest competitors as they have established themselves in world cricket over the past decade.

WHO STARRED?

Asghar Afghan - a stalwart of this Afghanistan side during their rise over the past decade, Afghan signed off with a win and a useful knock of 31 from 23 balls. After six Test matches, 114 ODIs and 75 T20Is, the 33-year-old is retiring to give the next generation the chance to show what they can do. His contribution to Afghanistan cricket as both as a batter and a leader over the years has been immense and the scenes after his dismissal and the end of the match showed just how highly regarded his is by his teammates.

Mohammad Shahzad - it really was a team effort from Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi but if there was a standout innings, it was Shahzad's 45 from 33 balls at the top of the order. Alongside Hazratullah Zazai, he got the team off to the perfect start in the powerplay and kept that momentum going in the overs that followed.

Mohammad Nabi - the Afghanistan skipper has been performing against the best players on the planet for a number of years in T20 leagues around the world. After wins against Scotland and Namibia, Afghanistan must now try to overcome some of the big hitters if they are to make the semi-finals and Nabi will have a huge part to play in that, with bat, ball and as captain. He looked in good touch here with a quickfire 32no, a continuation of that form could make all the difference with games against India and New Zealand to come.

Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton - it was a rather chastening day for Namibia following their famous win over Scotland in their opening Super 12 match but the performance of spinner Loftie-Eaton was a real positive. He claimed 2-21 from his four overs, showing good control to keep Afghanistan's big hitters in check.

Hamid Hassan - Namibia's batters may not have offered a great deal in the way of power hitting but figures of 3-9 from four overs are impressive regardless. The 34-year-old Hamid has had to wait for his chance in the tournament but made up for lost time here, giving absolutely nothing away while the delivery to bowl David Wiese shows the threat he poses with his ability to get the ball tailing in late.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Namibia are back in action on Tuesday as they face unbeaten Pakistan in Abu Dhabi (1.30pm, Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event) while Afghanistan are up against India at the same venue on Wednesday (1.30pm, Sky Sports Cricket and Main Event).