Chennai, Feb 19 (IANS) Veteran off-spin bowling all-rounder Mohammad Nabi produced a dazzling spell of 4-7 as Afghanistan crushed Canada by 82 runs in their final Group D clash and signed off from the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup on a high at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday.
Inserted to bat first, Afghanistan piled up 200/4, powered by Ibrahim Zadran’s unbeaten 95, his second successive fifty of the tournament. Sediqullah Atal chipped in with 44, as Afghanistan made a score of 200 in the tournament for the first time. Canada pacer Jaskaran Singh was the pick of their bowlers, claiming 3-52, but the visitors struggled to contain Afghanistan’s acceleration in the final overs, which yielded 69 runs.
Canada’s reply began brightly, with Yuvraj Samra striking boundaries in the opening over and Dilpreet Bajwa clearing the ropes twice in the next over. But their momentum was short-lived as Mujeeb Ur Rahman bowled Bajwa, Navneet Dhaliwal departed for a duck in his final international game, and Nabi removed Samra to leave Canada reeling at 33/3 inside the powerplay.
From there, Afghanistan’s spinners tightened the screws. Skipper Rashid Khan chipped in with 2-19 while Nabi’s guile proved to be decisive as he ran through the middle order. Canada’s resistance came in brief bursts, with Harsh Thaker (30) and captain Saad bin Zafar (28) offering some fight through a 53-run stand. But the chase never recovered from the early collapse, as they eventually made 118/8 in their 20 overs.
The result gave Afghanistan a convincing finish to a campaign that promised much but fell short of entering the Super Eight stage, with Jonathan Trott overseeing his final match as their head coach. For Canada, the defeat marked the end of a spirited run and glimpses of promise from their younger players.
A chase of 201 was always going to be an uphill task, though Samra and Bajwa began brightly. But their chase quickly unravelled as Mujeeb castled Bajwa with a googly, Dhaliwal picked out deep backward point to fall for a five-ball duck, and Nabi struck off his very first ball to remove Samra, when the leading edge was caught by backward point.
Nabi continued to weave his magic, dismissing Nicholas Kirton and later Thaker to finish with his best-ever figures at a T20 World Cup. Rashid Khan took out Shreyas Movva and bin Zafar as the middle order folded under relentless spin pressure, as Afghanistan ended their campaign on a high.
Previously, Afghanistan made a steady start before Canada hit back in the sixth over, as pacer Jaskaran Singh dismissed Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Gulbadin Naib in the space of four balls. Zadran then anchored the innings, finding support from Atal in a 95-run stand off 59 balls for the third wicket. Zadran brought up his second successive fifty of the tournament, while Atal fell in the 16th over for 44 off 32 balls.
Zadran, dropped on 54 by Dhaliwal, capitalised on the reprieve to steer Afghanistan to exactly 200 in a 56-ball vigil at the crease laced with seven fours and five sixes at a strike-rate of 169.64. Afghanistan raced to 49 in the powerplay but suffered a wobble when Gurbaz, who had looked dangerous with a flurry of boundaries, perished attempting one shot too many, while Naib was trapped in front by a full delivery that skidded through.
The double blow briefly checked Afghanistan’s momentum, but Zadran, calm and composed, found an able ally in Atal. The pair mixed calculated risk with fluent strokeplay. Atal, who struck seven boundaries in his 44, fell while trying to accelerate, but by then the innings had been firmly stabilised.
Zadran made the most of the reprieve given to him by Dhaliwal on 54 by unfurling drives, sweeps, and lofted strokes to keep the scoreboard ticking. His innings combined patience with power, and the ability to shift gears in the middle overs ensured Afghanistan never lost sight of a big total.
Canada’s bowlers had moments of control, but their lines and lengths faltered under pressure in the death overs. Afghanistan capitalised by scoring 69 runs in the final five overs, with Zadran ensuring boundaries flowed and set the stage for their dominating win.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 200/4 in 20 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 95 not out, Sediqullah Atal 44; Jaskaran Singh 3-52, Dilon Heyliger 1-41) beat Canada 118/8 in 20 overs (Harsh Thaker 30, Saad Bin Zafar 28; Mohammad Nabi 4-7, Rashid Khan 2-19) by 82 runs
–IANS
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