Welcome to Sportstar's Highlights of the T20 World Cup 2021 Super 12 match between Afghanistan and Namibia from the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
IND vs NZ Super 12 T20 World Cup 2021: Score, updates and highlights
MATCH RECAP:
Afghanistan dished out yet another clinical display with the ball to restrict Namibia to 98/9 and romp to a 62-run victory in a Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup 2021 in Abu Dhabi.
In a reversal of the team's reputation as a spin bowling powerhouse, Afghanistan's pacers rose to the challenge to claim eight of the nine Namibian wickets. Naveen Ul Haq (3-26) sent back the openers within three overs of the innings before Hamid Hassan (3-9) and Gulbadin Naib (2-19) ripped through the middle and lower-middle order.
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat for a third consecutive time in the tournament. Openers Mohammad Shahzad (45 off 33) and Hazratullah Zazai (33 off 27) set the tone for a huge score with a fifty-run opening stand within the Powerplay. A few quick wickets threatened to derail Afghanistan's innings in the middle-overs before skipper Mohammad Nabi (32* off 17) and Asghar Afghan (31 off 23) --playing his last international match-- struck 46 runs in the final four overs to take their side to 160/5.
Afghanistan beats Namibia by 62 runs.
Player of the Match: Naveen Ul Haq 3-26 (4 overs)
NAM 98/9 in 20 overs: Janat to bowl the last over of the match. Scholtz thumps it to long-on for one. Single for Trumpelmann at long-on again. Short and outside off and Scholtz looks to get it over the keeper and misses. Pace off and cut away past point for one more. Single off the last ball and that's the match!
NAM 94/9 in 19 overs:FOUR! Naveen goes full outside off and Trumpelmann gets enough wood on it to drag it to the mid-wicket boundary. FOUR! Yorker and slammed into the ground and it goes to the straight boudary. Trumpelmann refuses to take easy singles off the next two balls, wanting to keep strike and add a bit more to the score. Slower one outside off and beaten.
NAM 85/9 in 18 overs: Naib continues. Pace off the ball and outside off stump. The batters get just five from it.
NAM 80/9 in 17 overs: Hamid bowls out. OUT! Another ripper from Hassan to dismiss Wiese. Full and tailing in. Wiese gets an inside edge trying to pick it up from the slot and chops it on to his stumps. Last man Scholtz comes in. David Wiese b Hamid Hassan 26(30b 2x4 0x6).
NAM 77/8 in 16 overs: Naib to bowl. Ya France the new man in. Gets a couple for lofting it over point in vacant land. Slogged to deep midwicket and Gurbaz dives forward to take a stunning catch and injures himself and walks off the field. OUT! Good length and slow, Ya France got the top edge trying to slog sweep it and Naib takes an easy one off his bowling. Pikky Ya France c & b Gulbadin Naib 3(5b 0x4 0x6).
NAM 73/7 in 15 overs: Naveen is back into the attack. OUT! Slower one again and Frylinck goes aerial but mistimes it, handing it straight to mid-off. Naveen gets his third. FOUR! Wiese cuts it off the backfoot in front of point and he is mounting a solitary challenge here. Jan Frylinck c Mohammad Nabi b Naveen Ul Haq 6(14b 0x4 0x6).
NAM 65/6 in 14 overs: Rashid bowls out. Starts off with a wide down leg-side. Four runs come from it.
NAM 61/6 in 13 overs: Frylinck gets off the mark with a single at deep extra cover. Wiese returns the strike next ball with a single at midwicket. Keeps it at good length just wide of off stump and Frylinck cannot get it away. Clipped off the legs to midwicket for a single to end the over.
NAM 58/6 in 12 overs: Rashid continues. Two from the over, including a leg-bye. Keeps it full outside off and the batters look to play out the over.
NAM 56/6 in 11 overs: Hamid with the ball. Jams it into the legs and thuds into Wiese pads. Clipped to square leg for a single next ball. OUT! Textbook yorker and Erasmus has no answer for it. Tumbles trying to fend it off and the ball crashes into the stumps. Gerhard Erasmus b Hamid Hassan 12(14b 1x4 0x6). OUT! Two dot balls and the new man Smit walks back without disturbing the scores. Decked in short and Smit was happy to leave it. But it nipped in off the air and caught him on the gloves and carried easily to the keeper. JJ Smit c Mohammad Shahzad b Hamid Hassan 0(3b 0x4 0x6).
NAM 55/4 in 10 overs: Rashid continues. Six from the over and Namibia does well to stave off wickets in the Rashid over. Wiese looks to counter the spin by standing way outside the crease and holds the bat low.
NAM 49/4 in 9 overs: Naib into his second over. Ten runs from it. Naib bowls tight with just six off the first five. FOUR! Wiese pulls a slow and short one to the square leg boundary.
NAM 39/4 in 8 overs: Rashid Khan into the attack. OUT! Strikes first ball. Straight one and Green looked to scoop it over the keeper and missed. That's 399 wickets for Rashid. Wiese is the new man in. Full and driven straight to cover for a dot. Wiese is off the mark with a couple at long-on. Pushed to mid-on for a single to end the over. Zane Green b Rashid Khan 1(7b 0x4 0x6).
NAM 36/3 in 7 overs: Janat from the other end. FOUR! Erasmus sculpts it behind point off the backfoot to find the boundary. DROPPED! Erasmus almost handed it to the cover fielder Gurbaz. He did pouch the catch for a while but it came right off and the fielder tumbled thrice trying to hold on to the rebound.
NAM 29/3 in 6 overs: Naib to bowl the last of the Powerplay. OUT! Eaton steps down the pitch, misses the slower one and sees the woodwork behind him rattled! Naib strikes and he's back with the weightlifter's pose to celebrate the wicket. Green makes his way to the middle. Spot on from Naib as he delivers a maiden wicket. Green almost plays onto his stumps first ball with an inside edge. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton b Gulbadin Naib 14(16b 0x4 1x6).
NAM 29/2 in 5 overs: Hamid Hassan to bowl his first. Just two runs from the over. Bowls it full but varies his pace. A full-toss on the last ball should have been smashed but Erasmus pushed it for a dot.
NAM 27/2 in 4 overs: Nabi to Eaton. Loud LBW appeal turned down but Nabi reviews. Tough luck for AFG as replay shows wickets hitting but impact is umpire's call and Eaton survives. Erasmus gets off the mark with one down leg-side. SIX! Eaton dances down the pitch to take it almost on the full and launches it over long-on. Two dots to end the over.
NAM 19/2 in 3 overs: Naveen continues. Pushed to mid-on by Loftie-Eaton and good running to come back for two. A gentle dab to cover and they scurry for a single. Defended back to Naveen by van Lingen. OUT! Change of pace and van Lingen skies this high to square leg. He looked to go big on the leg but Naveen responded sharply with a deceptive slower one. Michael van Lingen c Hamid Hassan b Naveen Ul Haq 11(8b 0x4 1x6).
NAM 13/1 in 2 overs: Nabi to van Lingen. SIX! Steps out and tonks it straight down the ground. 10 runs from it and Namibia will be happy with this over.
NAM 3/1 in 1 over: Naveen Ul Haq to Craig Williams first ball. Defends a straight one back to the bowler. Pushed to point for a single and Namibia is off the mark. van Lingen tucks it off the pads to get one more. OUT! Williams departs trying to heave a full one on the on-side but didn't get much timing on it. Goes straight up in the air and mid-on holds on to it. Craig Williams c sub (Usman Ghani) b Naveen Ul Haq 1(3b 0x4 0x6).
END OF INNINGS
AFG 160/5 in 20 overs: FOUR! Nabi continues with his carnage and dispatches a full-toss by Wiese on the legs to the on-side. FOUR! Another full-toss on the last ball of the innings and smashed to deep square leg for a four.
AFG 148/5 in 19 overs: Trumpelmann bowls out. Goes full outside off and Asghar jams his bat at it to get one. SIX! Short and punished. Waited for it, cleared his front leg and heaved it over deep midwicket. FOUR! Too full this time and squeezed wide of third with precision. Full on off and beaten this time! Single by Nabi. OUT! Asghar tries to swivel and paddle it over to fine leg but the length is too full and tries to chip it over short third instead. Flies off the edge and caught easily at backward point. Asghar Afghan c van Lingen b Trumpelmann 31(23b 3x4 1x6).
AFG 136/4 in 18 overs: FOUR! Yorker length wide outside off and Nabi carves it to the third boudary. Just six from the over as Wiese continues to vary his pace.
AFG 130/4 in 17 overs: Smit to Nabi. FOUR! Length on offer outside off and the skipper steers it past point. LBW appeal again and turned down. Namibia review and it pitches outside leg and not out! Both teams have lost their reviews. FOUR! Crafty from the veteran. Asghar shuffles to off the flicks it very fine using the pace on the ball. Chips it straight this time for a couple. FOUR!
AFG 114/4 in 16 overs: Eaton with the ball. OUT! Najib is caught straight in front trying to work a straight-ish one on the leg. He reviews but technology confirms it is out. Skipper Nabi joins Asghar. Najibullah Zadran lbw b Loftie-Eaton 7(11b 1x4 0x6).
AFG 109/3 in 15 overs: Frylinck runs in. Starts off with a wide. SIX! In the slot and Asghar gets on one knee to lift it straight over the rope. Full-toss outside off and begging to be hit but Asghar misses out. Doesn't get it off the middle and just a single at mid-wicket. FOUR! Najib mistimes the pull and it goes off the bottom edge and behind the stumps. He almost chopped it on to his stumps there.
AFG 96/3 in 14 overs: FOUR! Erasmus with the ball. Asghar cuts it past point on the backfoot. Good comeback from the skipper, giving away just three runs from the next five balls. LBW appeal but turned down. Erasmus reviews. Good decision as the ball was missing leg stump by a distance.
AFG 89/3 in 13 overs: Trumpelmann comes around the wicket to Asghar. Strays on leg and it's a wide. Full outside off and Asghar swings and misses. Guides a similar delivery to extra cover for a single. OUT! Trumpelmann strikes finally. Shahzad looked to scoop it over the keeper but gets a top edge that loops up straight to fly slip. Mohammad Shahzad c Scholtz b Trumpelmann 45(33b 3x4 2x6).
AFG 87/2 in 12 overs: SIX! Pitched full and Shahzad steps down the pitch to smash it over deep midwicket. Ten from the Eaton over.
AFG 77/2 in 11 overs: Scholtz with left-arm spin from the other end. FOUR! Short and pummelled to midwicket as Smit dives to parry it in but instead guides it to the rope. A single to end the over and Shahzad will keep strike.
AFG 69/2 in 10 overs: Eaton continues. Absolute peach from the legspinner. Pitches it straight and turns it away from the right-hander and it misses the stumps by a whisker. Gurbaz looks to sweep and the ball thuds onto his front pad. Umpire lifts his finger right away but AFG review. OUT! Review confirms the ball was hitting middle of middle stump. Gurbaz departs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw b Loftie-Eaton 4(8b 0x4 0x6). Asghar Afghan walks into the middle for the final time and the Namibians give him a guard of honour as he makes his way. Great gesture! He is off the mark first ball with a confident push through cover for a single.
AFG 65/1 in 9 overs: Frylinck with the ball. Three singles to begin with. FOUR! Decked in short and Shahzad pulls it wildly to the fine leg boundary. Loses shape but gets the desired result.
AFG 55/1 in 8 overs: Loftie-Eaton to bowl the first over of spin. Gurbaz edges it to short third for a single to get off the mark. Outside leg stump and Shahzad paddles sweeps it straight to short fine for a dot. Eaton extracting spin from the pitch and mixed feelings for Namibia as top spinners await them in the second innings.
AFG 53/1 in 7 overs: Smit into his second over. Three singles and OUT! Pulled away by Zazai but picks out the square leg fielder to perfection. Gurbaz is the new man in. Two dot balls in the channel to end the over. Hazratullah Zazai c van Lingen b JJ Smit 33(27b 4x4 2x6).
AFG 50/0 in 6 overs : Wiese continues. Two singles and FOUR! Shahzad joins the rampage. Drags one from outside off to the mid-wicket boundary. SIX! Short and wide and skimmed by Shahzad over third for a maximum.
AFG 37/0 in 5 overs: Frylinck into the attack. FOUR! Jags back in and Zazai gets a lucky bottom edge that goes behind the stump. SIX! Great response from Zazai. Launches it over midwicket. Pitched in the slot on the stumps and almost swept for a six.
AFG 26/0 in 4 overs: Trumpelmann continues. Comes back strong and maintains a good line and length. FOUR! Length on leg stump and tucked away fine to the boundary. FOUR! Short of good length and a tad bit outside off stump and cut away between point and cover.
AFG 17/0 in 3 overs: Wiese replaces Trumpelmann. Zazai gets a leading edge trying to glance it on leg and survives after it lands in vacant territory at midwicket. Shahzad nudges it for one more. Four dots to end the over and just two from it. Wiese mixes his pace well but gets away with two lose deliveries on the leg which Zazai fails to capitalise on.
AFG 15/0 in 2 overs: Smit to Shahzad. Fends a straight one and they steal a single. Four singles from the over. Smith keeps it back of length and the batters are forced to nudge it around for ones with the pitch keeping slightly low.
AFG 11/0 in 1 over: In the blockhole first ball and Zazai fends it straight. FOUR! A loosener next ball as Trumpelmann goes short and wide. Zazai throws his bat at it and it goes off the edge to the boundary at third. Wide down the leg next ball. Good length, closer to the stumps and moving away; Zazai is beaten. SIX! Too full and clubbed over long-on by Zazai. Stand and deliver! Good line and length, angling away and beaten again.
Zazai and Shahzad are in the middle and Trumpelmann with the ball. Players stand in attention while some take the knee in solidarity with the fight against racism.
Live action to begin shortly. Stay tuned!
Teams assemble for the national anthems. Emotional moment for Asghar Afghan who dons his country's colours for the last time as a cricketer.
STAT ALERT: Mohammad Shahzad needs 34 runs to complete 2000 T20I runs. He is Afghanistan's leading run-scorer in the format, followed by Mohammad Nabi (1442) and Asghar Afghan (1351).
LIVE COMMENTARY
Abu Dhabi (T20 World Cup 2021)
Batting first won:1
Batting second won: 6
Average score: 127
Afghanistan Playing XI: 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
Namibia Playing XI: Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green (wk), JJ Smit, David Wiese, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz
UPDATE: Mujeeb Ur Rahman is unfit for today's game and Hamid Hassan comes in for him.
Former Afghanistan captain Asghar Afghan will call time on his international career after today's match. Afghan featured in Afghanistan's first-ever ODI (2009), T20I (2010) and captained the side in its historic debut Test match against India in 2018. With 4215 runs under his belt, the workhorse of Afghan cricket will look to sign off on a high.
Afghanistan vs Nambia DREAM11 FANTASY TEAM
Wicketkeepers – Mohammad Shahzad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Batters – Najibullah Zadran, H. Zazai, G. Merwe Erasmus
All-rounders – Mohammad Nabi (c), J. Smit
Bowlers – Rashid Khan (vc), B. Scholtz, Mujeeb ur Rahman, R. Trumpelmann
Team Composition: AFG 8:3 NMB Credits left: 0.5
Head-to-head stats
Afghanistan and Namibia have never played each other in a Twenty20 International. In T20Is overall, Afghanistan has 59 matches and lost 26, while Namibia has won 21 matches out of 26.
In T20 World Cups, Afghanistan has lost six and won 10 matches. The ongoing World Cup is Namibia's first T20 World Cup; it has three wins and a solitary defeat.
MATCH PREVIEW:
Afghanistan would look to shrug off the defeat against Pakistan and return to winning ways when it takes on debutant Namibia, which will be eager to continue its dream run in the T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan has proven that it is not a team to be taken lightly. It is armed with a world-class spin attack comprising the likes of Rashid Khan, who has perfected his craft while playing in various T20 leagues around the world, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and skipper Mohammad Nabi.
The formidable spin attack's prowess has been on full display in its first two matches. While it completely bamboozled Scotland in its tournament opener victory, it pushed an in-form Pakistan side to the brink on Friday night.
Backing its spinners are the Afghan batters, who are playing a fearless brand of cricket reminiscent of the big-hitting West Indies side.
Namibia, on the other hand, will hope to continue its historic run. The country which has a population of 2.5 million and only five cricket pitches has surprised everyone in the tournament.
After handing defeats to Netherlands and Ireland in the qualifiers, the team has managed to script a memorable win over Scotland in its first Super 12 game.
While their bowlers did a good job to restrict Scotland to 109, their batters had to dig deep to chase the target.
But if Namibia wishes to keep rubbing shoulders with the top teams, it will need to lift its level, and skipper Gerhard Erasmus is well aware of it.
"From here on we have to lift our level. We are excited for the challenge. Hopefully we can execute on those days," Erasmus had said after the match against Scotland.
Namibia's best shot is putting runs on the board and capitalising on Afghanistan's relatively poor pace attack. It also holds the advantage of being familiar with the conditions, having played three games here.
-PTI
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