150/10 (18.5)
CR : 7.96
189/4 (20.0)
CR : 9.45
Afghanistan won by 39 runs 🏆
Player of the Match
M Ur Rahman
4/21
11:23 PM IST and 9:53 PM LOCAL Time: Afghanistan win by 39 runs! Super display from the home side. They are making Dubai a difficult place for visiting teams! They were far better with both bat and ball! They lead the series 2-0!
The West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl first. They had the first punch done by Shamar Joseph when he knocked over the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz early on. Post that Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal pushed the ball around before Matthew Forde shattered the stumps of Zadran. He was dismissed for 22 with the score standing at 37/2.
Darwish Rasooli came in at 4 and upped the scoring rate. Atal motored along and it was Rasooli who found the boundary on a consistent basis. The pair stitched up a 115 runs stand. Both got to their respective fifties as well. Both batters got out in quick succession though but post the 16th over. Atal was dismissed for 53 and Rasooli for a 39-ball 68. The score stood at 155-4.
Azmatullah Omarzai gave the final impetus to the innings by smashing his way to a 13-ball 26. He pushed the score past the 180 mark as the home side ended with 189/4. The pick of the bowlers for the West Indies was Matthew Forde with his 2-25. The score did look 20 above par with the chasing inabilities of the West Indies side in recent times.
The chase started on a very sticky note. This has been the problem with West Indies in recent times. Their openers could not time the ball and in trying to steal a single, Alick Athanaze ran him out early. They had a 29/1 powerplay and Evin Lewis who joined Brandon King also looked rusty and out of place. The spinners got into their work and Mujeeb got rid of Lewis and Johnson Charles in successive balls with the score being 38/3.
There was a counterattack from Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King. The aggressor was Hetmyer who raced to a 17-ball 46. King supported him with a 42-ball 50. The pair took the score to 106/3 before Farooqi got rid of Hetmyer.
Mujeeb came back into the attack and triggered a collapse. Got his hat-trick by dismissing King. From 122-4 the visitors got bundled out for 150. The lower order couldn't get past single digits and just perished in no time. The pick of the bowlers for the Afghanistan were Mujeeb Ur Rahman (4-21), Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-28) and Azmatullah Omarzai (2-20).
This has been a superb result for the home side keeping in mind the T20 World Cup next month. West Indies need to regroup quickly. They need to find a way to not play so many dot balls. They played 50+ dot balls today as well and that did not help the cause.
The West Indies won the toss and elected to bowl first. They had the first punch done by Shamar Joseph when he knocked over the dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz early on. Post that Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal pushed the ball around before Matthew Forde shattered the stumps of Zadran. He was dismissed for 22 with the score standing at 37/2.
Darwish Rasooli came in at 4 and upped the scoring rate. Atal motored along and it was Rasooli who found the boundary on a consistent basis. The pair stitched up a 115 runs stand. Both got to their respective fifties as well. Both batters got out in quick succession though but post the 16th over. Atal was dismissed for 53 and Rasooli for a 39-ball 68. The score stood at 155-4.
Azmatullah Omarzai gave the final impetus to the innings by smashing his way to a 13-ball 26. He pushed the score past the 180 mark as the home side ended with 189/4. The pick of the bowlers for the West Indies was Matthew Forde with his 2-25. The score did look 20 above par with the chasing inabilities of the West Indies side in recent times.
The chase started on a very sticky note. This has been the problem with West Indies in recent times. Their openers could not time the ball and in trying to steal a single, Alick Athanaze ran him out early. They had a 29/1 powerplay and Evin Lewis who joined Brandon King also looked rusty and out of place. The spinners got into their work and Mujeeb got rid of Lewis and Johnson Charles in successive balls with the score being 38/3.
There was a counterattack from Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King. The aggressor was Hetmyer who raced to a 17-ball 46. King supported him with a 42-ball 50. The pair took the score to 106/3 before Farooqi got rid of Hetmyer.
Mujeeb came back into the attack and triggered a collapse. Got his hat-trick by dismissing King. From 122-4 the visitors got bundled out for 150. The lower order couldn't get past single digits and just perished in no time. The pick of the bowlers for the Afghanistan were Mujeeb Ur Rahman (4-21), Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-28) and Azmatullah Omarzai (2-20).
This has been a superb result for the home side keeping in mind the T20 World Cup next month. West Indies need to regroup quickly. They need to find a way to not play so many dot balls. They played 50+ dot balls today as well and that did not help the cause.
Hat-tricks vs West Indies in T20Is:
Akila Dananjaya (Sri Lanka), Antigua, 2021
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Dubai (DICS), 2026*
Akila Dananjaya (Sri Lanka), Antigua, 2021
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Afghanistan), Dubai (DICS), 2026*
Hat-tricks for Afghanistan in T20Is:
Rashid Khan vs Ireland, Dehradun, 2019
Karim Janat vs Bangladesh, Sylhet, 2023
Mujeeb Ur Rahman vs West Indies, Dubai (DICS), 2026*
Rashid Khan vs Ireland, Dehradun, 2019
Karim Janat vs Bangladesh, Sylhet, 2023
Mujeeb Ur Rahman vs West Indies, Dubai (DICS), 2026*
Biggest Win for Afghanistan vs West Indies in T20Is (By Runs):
41 Runs, Lucknow, 2019
39 Runs, Dubai (DICS), 2026*
38 Runs, Dubai (DICS), 2026
41 Runs, Lucknow, 2019
39 Runs, Dubai (DICS), 2026*
38 Runs, Dubai (DICS), 2026
Time for the Post-Match Presentation...
Player of the Match: Mujeeb Ur Rahman (4-21 in 4 Overs including a hat-trick)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman (Player of the Match): “I think the idea was very simple - keep it stump to stump, hit the right areas, and stay disciplined. That was the plan, and it worked well today. There was no need to try anything fancy, just trust the basics.
Taking a hat-trick is always special, and it makes it even more meaningful when you’re standing alongside someone else who’s achieved the same thing for Afghanistan.
First of all, congratulations to the whole team on winning the series - it’s a great feeling to contribute to that. It was a good wicket to bowl on as well. The Afghanistan team had already scored a half-century, so to come in and make that kind of impact was really satisfying. It shows how important execution is, even when the batters are set.
In terms of personal goals, this phase is more about preparation than milestones. It’s a good opportunity for us to experiment a little, make adjustments, and understand our games better ahead of bigger tournaments.
Overall, this series has been excellent preparation for us. We’ll take a lot of confidence from this win and move forward with a positive mindset into the World Cup. Performances like this definitely give the team extra motivation.”
Taking a hat-trick is always special, and it makes it even more meaningful when you’re standing alongside someone else who’s achieved the same thing for Afghanistan.
First of all, congratulations to the whole team on winning the series - it’s a great feeling to contribute to that. It was a good wicket to bowl on as well. The Afghanistan team had already scored a half-century, so to come in and make that kind of impact was really satisfying. It shows how important execution is, even when the batters are set.
In terms of personal goals, this phase is more about preparation than milestones. It’s a good opportunity for us to experiment a little, make adjustments, and understand our games better ahead of bigger tournaments.
Overall, this series has been excellent preparation for us. We’ll take a lot of confidence from this win and move forward with a positive mindset into the World Cup. Performances like this definitely give the team extra motivation.”
Brandon King (West Indies Captain): "When Hetmyer came, he had a brilliant start. He kept us in the game. I was there with him and next time I would like to finish the whole game and come back after having played so many balls.
Yes, we need to improve on the catching. We dropped some key players. Two times in two games we have let ourselves down in the field. We need to improve in that aspect as professionals.
Yeah, with Hettie the talk was all about targeting the shorter boundary. A left and right combination helps but yeah, he did it better than me."
Yes, we need to improve on the catching. We dropped some key players. Two times in two games we have let ourselves down in the field. We need to improve in that aspect as professionals.
Yeah, with Hettie the talk was all about targeting the shorter boundary. A left and right combination helps but yeah, he did it better than me."
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan Captain): "Yeah it was a different challenge. Playing against a good T20 side. For us it was more important who to come back as a team. We had a bad Asia Cup. So, it was a good win for us especially with the World Cup coming up.
In these conditions, lines and lengths are very important. So, if we nail the percentage spots, we have a better chance to do well.
Partnerships in the middle order always makes me happy. That it where we were struggling in the past few months. I am very happy how the pressure is off the top order. It is great to see everyone chip in and that too before of the world cup.
The discussion was not about how much we made. It was more about how much effort we put. I focus on that. We need to bowl wholeheartedly and defend the target."
In these conditions, lines and lengths are very important. So, if we nail the percentage spots, we have a better chance to do well.
Partnerships in the middle order always makes me happy. That it where we were struggling in the past few months. I am very happy how the pressure is off the top order. It is great to see everyone chip in and that too before of the world cup.
The discussion was not about how much we made. It was more about how much effort we put. I focus on that. We need to bowl wholeheartedly and defend the target."
The Afghan cricketing troops have made Dubai their friend. They ace the conditions so well out here and have bagged another T20I series. The West Indies looked clueless and just could not read the pitch as well as their opponents did. With the T20I World Cup in sight, a win like this is a moral booster for the Afghanistan side. A loss like this for the West Indies is a wakeup call.
The two teams will meet each other in less than 24 hours at this very venue for the final T20I. Can the visitors show some fight? Or will the home team bag a clean sweep?
On this note, I, Manan Mehta, would like to sign off on behalf of my colleagues Dev Rajawat, Raju Khariya and Aman. B-byeee!!!
The two teams will meet each other in less than 24 hours at this very venue for the final T20I. Can the visitors show some fight? Or will the home team bag a clean sweep?
On this note, I, Manan Mehta, would like to sign off on behalf of my colleagues Dev Rajawat, Raju Khariya and Aman. B-byeee!!!