Dubai [UAE], January 22 (ANI): A four-wicket haul from Mujeeb ur Rahman and half-centuries from Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal helped Afghanistan seal a collection win over West Indies, beating the two-time world champions of the format by 39 runs within the second T20I at Dubai on Wednesday.
With this win, Afghanistan has taken an unassailable lead of 2-0 over the Windies.
West Indies gained the toss and elected to discipline first. Afghanistan was lowered to 37/2 in 4.5 overs. A 115-run stand between Atal (53 in 42 balls, with two fours and three sixes) and Rasooli (68 in 39 balls, with 5 fours and three sixes) introduced the Afghans again into the sport.
Azmatullah Omarzai, the top-ranked T20I all-rounder, performed an important cameo of 26* in 13 balls, with a 4 and two sixes, taking Afghanistan to 189/4 in 20 overs.
Matthew Forde (2/25 in 4 overs) was the choose of the bowlers for the West Indies. Shamar Joseph and Ramon Simmonds took a wicket every.
Within the run chase, WI was lowered to 38/3 in eight overs, with Mujeeb getting two wickets of Evin Lewis and Johnson Charles in a row. Skipper Brandon King (50 in 41 balls, with two fours and 4 sixes) and Shimron Hetmyer (46 in 17 balls, with a 4 and 6 sixes) placed on a 68-run stand for the fourth wicket. The fifth wicket of Brandon grew to become Mujeeb’s hat-trick wicket, making him the third Afghanistan bowler after Rashid Khan and Karim Janat to take a T20I hat-trick.
WI collapsed to 150 all out in 18.5 overs, with Mujeeb (4/21), Omarzai (2/20) and Fazalhaq Farooqi (2/28) being the choose of the bowlers.
Mujeeb took house the ‘Participant of the Match’ award. (ANI)
