Afghanistan vs Namibia Highlights T20 World Cup 2021: Afghanistan cruise to 62-run victory
Afghanistan vs Namibia Highlights T20 World Cup 2021: It was a fairly one-sided game as Afghanistan registered a comprehensive 62-run victory over Namibia in Abu Dhabi to go 2nd in the Group 2 table. Asghar Afghan enjoyed a fitting farewell game as Afghanistan, after putting on 160/5 on the board, restricted Namibia to 98/9 in 20 overs. Earlier, Afghanistan had won the toss and opted to bat first in Abu Dhabi. After losing to Pakistan in their previous game, Afghanistan needed this victory to remain strong in the campaign.
Afghanistan win!
A comprehensive victory for Afghanistan as they go second on the table with four points in three matches. Afghanistan More pressure on both, India and New Zealand as they face in Dubai for the all-important Group 2 game.
Namibia end on 98/9.
Namibia nearing the three figures
Trumpelmann bags two fours in the 19th over as Namibia are aiming to breach that three-figure mark.
94/9 in 19 overs. Target: 161
9 down!
Hamid picks his third of the day as he sends David Wiese back on 26. Safe to say, Afghanistan haven't missed Mujeeb today.
Namibia 80/9 in 17 overs. Target: 161
Afghanistan only 2 wickets away!
Gulbadin Naib picks his second of the day, dismissing Ya France on 3. Namibia falling like a pack of cards.
78/8 in 16 overs. Target: 161
Naveen takes his third
Jan Frylinck goes for 6 off 14 deliveries. Namibia 7 down.
Namibia 71/7 in 15 overs. Target: 161
Runs dry up for Namibia
Only six runs from the last three overs for Namibia as Afghanistan are in total control in this game.
Namibia 61/6 in 13 overs. Target: 161
Hassan picks another!
SIX DOWN! Mohammad Shahzad takes an easy catch as the pacer sends JJ Smit packing for a duck. Afghanistan are cruising towards a second win in the Super 12s.
Namibia 56/6 in 11 overs. Target: 161
Hamid Hassan strikes!
First wicket for Hassan! He removes captain Erasmus. The yorker floors Erasmus as Hamid castles through his defence. Namibia five down for 56.
Halfway through the innings
Namibia 55/4 in 10 overs. An excellent start from Afghanistan bowlers who have put Namibia under instant pressure with quick wickets upfront.
Rashid Khan strikes on his first ball
What a start! Rashid Khan castles Zane Green on his first delivery. Green goes across to scoop it past fine leg but completely misses the line.
Namibia 39/4 in 8 overs. Target - 161
Loftie-Eaton departs!
Gulbadin Naib strikes in his first over! Loftie-Eaton is knocked over by a slower delivery as Naib castles the stumps in his first over. A maiden over from Naib!
Namibia 29/3 in 6 overs
Hamid Hassan into the attack
Hamid, who replaced Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, concedes only two runs in his first over as pressure mounts on Namibia.
Namibia 29/2 in 5 overs; Target - 161
Naveen strikes again!
The Afghanistan pacer gets the other opener as well! van Lingen departs in similar fashion to Williams. An upper-edge as he attempts to flick but finds a thick top edge. Hamid Hassan makes no mistake as he takes the catch at square leg.
Namibia 19/2 in 3 overs; Target - 161
WICKET IN THE FIRST OVER!
Williams departs! Naveen-ul-Haq draws the first blood! A horrible mistimed shot from the opener as he attempted to flick it towards midwicket but finds a big top-edge. The ball sails high but doesn't find the distance. Easy catch for substitute Usman Ghani.
Afghanistan 3/1 in 1 over
Players return for the chase
Craig Williams and Michael van Lingen open for Namibia. Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq bowls the first over.
Asghar Afghan in tears following his final innings
“I wanted to give youngsters an opportunity. Most people have asked me this question (retiring mid-way through the tournament). It is something we cannot explain. We were too hurt after the last game against Afghanistan. There have been terrific memories with Afghanistan. It is very difficult to explain, but I have to retire.”
Afghanistan 160/5 in 20 overs
Mohammad Nabi goes big in the final two overs and ends up with an unbeaten 32 off just 17 deliveries to take Afghanistan to a strong 160/5 in 20 overs.
Afghan falls!
Afghan departs on 31 in his final international innings. He plays a cheeky reverse sweep after shuffling his shot, fails to find the timing and hands an easy catch at the fly slip.
Afghanistan 148/5 in 19 overs
Asghar Afghan takes charge!
The former Afghanistan skipper is making it count! He slams three fours off the 17th over of the innings off JJ Smit.
Afghanistan 130/4 in 17 overs
Big over for Afghanistan
Asghar Afghan goes big! He hits it straight over the bowler Jan Frylinck's head for a six. Najibullah Zadran also finds his first boundary of the innings as Afghanistan accumulate 13 runs off the over.
Afghanistan 109/3 in 15 overs
Erasmus into the attack
The captain traps Najibullah but the ball is drifting away past the leg stump. 7 runs off the over.
Namibia 96/3 in 14 overs
Shahzad out!
Mohammad Shahzad departs on 45. Shahzad goes adventurous as he walks across the stumps and scoops it over short fine leg. He gets caught by the wicketkeeper.
Afghanistan 89/3 in 13 overs
Shahzad continues charge
Mohammad Shahzad welcomes Loftie-Eaton with a six in his third over, as both the batters continue to rotate strike.
Afghanistan 87/2 in 12 overs
A guard of honor for Asghar Afghan
A classy gesture from Namibia players as they give a guard of honor to Asghar Afghan, who is playing his last match for Afghanistan today.
Afghanistan 69/2 in 10 overs
WICKET NO.2!
Namibia strike right before the halfway mark in the innings! Rahmanullah departs. Loftie-Eaton's stump line does the trick this time, as he catches the batter in front of stumps.
Afghanistan 68/2 in 9.5 overs
Spin into the attack
Tight from Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton. Shahzad tries to find an opening but Loftie-Eaton keeps it low. Only 2 off the over.
Afghanistan 55/1 in 8 overs
Zazai gone!
An entertaining innings from the opener comes to an end! Zazai goes across the line and lofts it towards backward square leg, but Michael van Lingen is placed perfectly to take the catch. An important opening breakthrough.
Afghanistan 53/1 in 7 overs
50 up!
Mohammad Shahzad springs into action this time. A monstrous slap towards deep midwicket for a four, followed by a scoop over the third-man boundary for a maximum! A good Powerplay for Afghanistan as they end up at 50/0 after six overs.
11 off the fifth over!
Zazai hasn't looked perfectly comfortable, but Afghanistan won't mind it if the runs keep on flowing. The opener barely survives an inside-edge onto stumps as the ball races away to the fine-leg boundary, and then slams a brilliant six over cow corner.
Afghanistan 37/0 in 5 overs
Zazai on the charge
The opener slams two fours off Trumpelmann again, who hasn't been as consistent as he was in the game against Scotland, where he inflicted early blows in the innings. The left-armer wanders off his line a bit, going wide outside the off-stump as Zazai places it perfectly past the fielder on square leg.
Afghanistan 26/0 in 4 overs
Wiese keeps it tight
It hasn't been a great line for Wiese, with three deliveries down the leg but Zazai, in an attempt to flick it past fine leg, mistimes all three.
Afghanistan 17/0 in 3 overs
Steady start
15 runs off the first two overs. Hazratullah Zazai found a couple of boundaries (a four and a six) in the first over, while Namibia's Jon-Jon Smit keeps it tight from the other end.
The game begins!
Afghanistan openers - Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad - make their way out in the middle. Players show their support towards the BLM movement. Ruben Trumpelmann opens the attack for Namibia.
Stat for the Afghan fans
The team has never lost a day game in the T20Is batting first, winning 13 consecutive games.
Mujeeb misses out
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who is Afghanistan's highest wicket-taker in the 2021 T20 World Cup so far (6 wickets in 2 games) misses out due to lack of fitness.
How big a blow will it be for the side?
Captains speak
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan): “We'll bat first. The wicket looks really good to bat on. We feel really good after the performance in the last game. A lot of plus points, the boys played really well. Mujeeb is unfit, Hamid Hassan is playing."
Gerhard Erasmus (Scotland): "A great opportunity for our bowlers to put them under pressure. Looks like a good wicket with wind blowing across. We have planned the same as we planned against Sri Lanka. We are not playing the bowler, we are only playing the ball. We are not going to spend energy on the opposition and are instead going to focus on our strengths. No team changes."
Toss Update!
Afghanistan win toss, opt to bat first against Namibia in Abu Dhabi.
The table is right open, says Naveen-ul-Haq
"I think the table is right open. There are three teams that will be fighting for that (second) spot because India has played one and lost one. And New Zealand has played one and lost one. We'll be having a great contest, great matchup coming up with them in a week's time. So you can't say much at the moment who will be qualifying. It's only Pakistan who has made it through. But there is still one spot."
Afghanistan vs Namibia - H2H
The two sides have squared off against each other only twice so far, with Afghanistan winning both games.
Their last meeting was over four years ago – in January 2017 – when Afghanistan had defeated Namibia by 64 runs in Dubai.
Afghanistan aim to bounce back
Mohammad Nabi's men faced heartbreak in their previous game against Pakistan, conceding a close defeat during the final stages of the game. After reducing Pakistan to 124/5 in 18 overs in a 148-run chase, Afghanistan's Karim Janat conceded four sixes in the 19th, as Afghanistan suffered a first defeat in the edition.
Against Namibia, Nabi and co. will be aiming to put their campaign back on track.
Namibia's dream run in 2021 T20 WC
Gerhard Erasmus' side has enjoyed a stellar outing in the 2021 edition so far. After a disappointing 7-wicket defeat in the opening game to Sri Lanka in the first round, Namibia went on a winning streak which extended to the first game of Super 12s against Scotland.
Will they be able to defy the odds and stage an upset against Afghanistan?
Asghar Afghan's final game
The match against Namibia will be Asghar Afghan's last match for Afghanistan. The former captain of the side confirmed on Saturday that he will retire from all formats of the game following the Group 2 game on Sunday.
Afghanistan vs Namibia, T20 World Cup - Live!
Hello and welcome to our live blog on T20 World Cup, Afghanistan vs Namibia. Can Namibia pick up a big win for associate nations? Stay tuned for all the live action!
Spin into the attack
Tight from Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton. Shahzad tries to find an opening but Loftie-Eaton keeps it low. Only 2 off the over.
Afghanistan 55/1 in 8 overs
Zazai gone!
An entertaining innings from the opener comes to an end! Zazai goes across the line and lofts it towards backward square leg, but Michael van Lingen is placed perfectly to take the catch. An important opening breakthrough.
Afghanistan 53/1 in 7 overs
50 up!
Mohammad Shahzad springs into action this time. A monstrous slap towards deep midwicket for a four, followed by a scoop over the third-man boundary for a maximum! A good Powerplay for Afghanistan as they end up at 50/0 after six overs.
11 off the fifth over!
Zazai hasn't looked perfectly comfortable, but Afghanistan won't mind it if the runs keep on flowing. The opener barely survives an inside-edge onto stumps as the ball races away to the fine-leg boundary, and then slams a brilliant six over cow corner.
Afghanistan 37/0 in 5 overs
Zazai on the charge
The opener slams two fours off Trumpelmann again, who hasn't been as consistent as he was in the game against Scotland, where he inflicted early blows in the innings. The left-armer wanders off his line a bit, going wide outside the off-stump as Zazai places it perfectly past the fielder on square leg.
Afghanistan 26/0 in 4 overs
Wiese keeps it tight
It hasn't been a great line for Wiese, with three deliveries down the leg but Zazai, in an attempt to flick it past fine leg, mistimes all three.
Afghanistan 17/0 in 3 overs
Steady start
15 runs off the first two overs. Hazratullah Zazai found a couple of boundaries (a four and a six) in the first over, while Namibia's Jon-Jon Smit keeps it tight from the other end.
The game begins!
Afghanistan openers - Hazratullah Zazai and Mohammad Shahzad - make their way out in the middle. Players show their support towards the BLM movement. Ruben Trumpelmann opens the attack for Namibia.
Stat for the Afghan fans
The team has never lost a day game in the T20Is batting first, winning 13 consecutive games.
Mujeeb misses out
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who is Afghanistan's highest wicket-taker in the 2021 T20 World Cup so far (6 wickets in 2 games) misses out due to lack of fitness.
How big a blow will it be for the side?
Captains speak
Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan): “We'll bat first. The wicket looks really good to bat on. We feel really good after the performance in the last game. A lot of plus points, the boys played really well. Mujeeb is unfit, Hamid Hassan is playing."
Gerhard Erasmus (Scotland): "A great opportunity for our bowlers to put them under pressure. Looks like a good wicket with wind blowing across. We have planned the same as we planned against Sri Lanka. We are not playing the bowler, we are only playing the ball. We are not going to spend energy on the opposition and are instead going to focus on our strengths. No team changes."
Toss Update!
Afghanistan win toss, opt to bat first against Namibia in Abu Dhabi.
The table is right open, says Naveen-ul-Haq
"I think the table is right open. There are three teams that will be fighting for that (second) spot because India has played one and lost one. And New Zealand has played one and lost one. We'll be having a great contest, great matchup coming up with them in a week's time. So you can't say much at the moment who will be qualifying. It's only Pakistan who has made it through. But there is still one spot."
Afghanistan vs Namibia - H2H
The two sides have squared off against each other only twice so far, with Afghanistan winning both games.
Their last meeting was over four years ago – in January 2017 – when Afghanistan had defeated Namibia by 64 runs in Dubai.
Afghanistan aim to bounce back
Mohammad Nabi's men faced heartbreak in their previous game against Pakistan, conceding a close defeat during the final stages of the game. After reducing Pakistan to 124/5 in 18 overs in a 148-run chase, Afghanistan's Karim Janat conceded four sixes in the 19th, as Afghanistan suffered a first defeat in the edition.
Against Namibia, Nabi and co. will be aiming to put their campaign back on track.
Namibia's dream run in 2021 T20 WC
Gerhard Erasmus' side has enjoyed a stellar outing in the 2021 edition so far. After a disappointing 7-wicket defeat in the opening game to Sri Lanka in the first round, Namibia went on a winning streak which extended to the first game of Super 12s against Scotland.
Will they be able to defy the odds and stage an upset against Afghanistan?
Asghar Afghan's final game
The match against Namibia will be Asghar Afghan's last match for Afghanistan. The former captain of the side confirmed on Saturday that he will retire from all formats of the game following the Group 2 game on Sunday.
Afghanistan vs Namibia, T20 World Cup - Live!
Hello and welcome to our live blog on T20 World Cup, Afghanistan vs Namibia. Can Namibia pick up a big win for associate nations? Stay tuned for all the live action!