The defining picture from Nicholas Pooran’s power-packed innings on the Daren Sammy Nationwide Cricket Stadium on Monday evening got here at its denouement: his batting associate Andre Russell letting out a cry of angst as Pooran remained on all fours with the timber in disarray courtesy of a direct hit from Azmatullah Omarzai, catching him in need of his first T20I hundred by two runs!
The left-hander had whooped and run amok across the Afghanistan bowling assault for 52 balls, ripping out the bowlers on a batting paradise. Nonetheless, as Russell walked in direction of Pooran to offer him a pat on the again, each West Indies fan in all probability felt the frustration as viscerally as he did. By then, although, the consequence, a 104-run win within the ultimate Group C match, had appeared like a foregone conclusion.
Chasing 219, Afghanistan was at all times taking part in catch-up as soon as it slipped from 45 for one to 63 for 5 inside the primary 10 overs. Obed McCoy (3 for 14), taking part in his first match of this World Cup, snapped up three wickets within the area of simply eight balls to successfully nip the chase within the bud and guarantee West Indies entered the Tremendous 8s unbeaten. The precursor to the batting meltdown was left-arm orthodox spinner Akeal Hosein’s (2 for 21) wicket maiden within the first over, the place he exploited a constructive matchup to take away right-handed opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a duck.
RELATED | West Indies vs Afghanistan Highlights
Earlier, after being requested to bat, West Indies impressed with a methodical dismantling of Afghanistan, beginning by concentrating on in-form left-arm fast Fazalhaq Farooqi. Native hero Johnson Charles, with a stadium stand named after him, shortly hit a number of boundaries to the third man area, punishing Farooqi and his new-ball associate Omarzai for bowling vast. Rashid Khan’s choice to maintain a deep backward level as an alternative of a squarer third man allowed Charles to use the hole, resulting in Farooqi’s removing after conceding 28 runs in two overs.
Omarzai, hit for 2 boundaries off his outswingers, bowled an inswinger that drew right-hander Brandon King right into a half-hearted push, leading to a wicket—the one spotlight for Afghanistan within the PowerPlay.
Nicholas Pooran got here in at three and straightaway capitalised on the shortage of swing. Omarzai conceded 36 runs in his second over as Pooran raced to 27 off simply 9 balls, hitting 5 boundaries, together with three sixes. It was the joint-most runs scored in an over within the T20 World Cup, after Yuvraj Singh’s six sixes in opposition to Stuart Broad in 2007.
Johnson Charles of West Indies in motion in opposition to Afghanistan.
| Photograph Credit score:
Robert Cianflone/Getty Photos
Johnson Charles of West Indies in motion in opposition to Afghanistan.
| Photograph Credit score:
Robert Cianflone/Getty Photos
This compelled Rashid into motion inside the primary six overs, which isn’t his forte. Pooran duly hit him for 2 fours, with Rashid conceding 12 in his first. The absence of Mujeeb Ur Rahman on account of harm additionally performed a job in Rashid’s early introduction.
By the tip of the PowerPlay, Pooran was hanging near 300 and Charles at 200, as West Indies racked up 92 for one, the best PowerPlay rating in males’s T20 World Cups. Naveen-ul-Haq finally ended the explosive 38-ball, 80-run partnership by dismissing Charles with a slower ball, for 43 off 27 balls.
RELATED | West Indies vs Afghanistan Scorecard
The scoring charge slowed a bit with Noor Ahmad introducing some management, with Pooran and Shai Hope content material to run singles and twos. Actually, at one level, Pooran went with out hitting a boundary for 27 balls!
However after Hope fell, Pooran picked up the tempo once more with skipper Rovman Powell. Pooran reached his first T20 World Cup half-century off 31 balls after which made an announcement by smacking Rashid for twenty-four runs within the 18th over, with three sixes, one 4, and a pair, leaving the Afghan skipper with figures of none for 45 from his 4 overs. By the point Powell skied a catch off a slower ball, he had added 64 off 38 with Pooran and brought the wind out of Afghanistan’s sails.