West Indies Cricket Team VS Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: The west indies vs Afghanistan competition has been in the limelight these days due to the marvelous performance both teams have given in the field. This article elaborately analyzes the main performances, batting order, bowling stats, and thereby turning points of the match that defined its outcome for a recent or hypothetical encounter match scorecard between the West Indies Cricket Team and the Afghanistan National Cricket Team.
Preamble
Team Profiles
The West Indies Cricket Team includes power-hitting and electrifying fast bowling that has built a rich legacy for them in world cricket. In principle, the right mix of experienced players and fresh blood makes the Caribbean squad one that can be a powerhouse in the shorter formats of the game. The names which have been regulars in major recent international series include Nicholas Pooran, Jason Holder, and Alzarri Joseph.
Afghanistan National Cricket Team: Afghanistan, being a fact, has been one of the newest and promising forces in world cricket; incredibly, they combine a perfect blend of spin bowlers and aggressive batsmen. The team has grown amazingly and is a real force to be considered in the shortest format of the game. Their star players include Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, and Hazratullah Zazai among others who have left their mark on the global stage.
The game was played on a typical sub-continent pitch which would assist the spiners but had something in it for the seamers too. The weather was clear and thus allowed for a full game without any glitches.
Toss
Afghanistan won the toss, elected to field first relying on their spiners to make most of the dry conditions later in the game.
Match Scorecard Breakdown
West Indies Innings: Whirlwind Display of Power-Hitting
West Indies came out all guns blazing as their opening duo set up a steamy first innings total for their side.
How It Came About – Batting Scorecard (West Indies)
Brandon King – 75 off 52 balls
King provided West Indies with a scintillating start as he found the boundaries at will. His 75-run knock was laced with 7 fours and 4 sixes as he set the platform for a big total.
Kyle Mayers – 45 off 38 balls
Mayers gave support and handy runs at the top. His 45 made sure there was no early dent in the West Indies.
Nicholas Pooran – 32 off 20
Pooran’s explosiveness in the middle order, in the middle overs gave quick runs. By his contribution, the momentum continued though he failed to convert the start into a big score.
Shimron Hetmyer – 60 off 35 balls
The attacking game of Hetmyer was very crucial in the second part of the innings. He powered the West Indies total to a decent score inclusive of 5 sixes.
Jason Holder – 22 off 15 balls not out
Holder played a crucial finishing role to ensure that the team reached a good total.
Rovman Powell – 16 off 12 balls
Powell chipped in with a few boundaries before getting out before he could get going.
Extras: 14 > 5 wides, 3 no balls, 6 leg-byes
Total: 280/6 in 50 overs
Bowling Highlights Afghanistan )
Rashid Khan: 10 overs 45 runs 2 wickets
He was, however, the pick of the bowlers as expected using his variation to trouble the West Indian batsmen. His wickets helped slow the run rate in the middle overs.
Mohammad Nabi – 10 overs 50 runs 1 wicket
Nabi kept things tight but could make inroads into the opposition line-up. He though was able to put the brakes on the West Indies during critical junctures.
Fazalhaq Farooqi – 9 overs, 64 runs, 2 wickets
That pace from Farooqi proved costly; he did manage those two vital wickets, though, those of Pooran and Hetmyer.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman – 10 overs, 55 runs, 1 wicket
Mujeeb was economical, but an attacking West Indies mindset ensured the off-spinner never truly dominated like he might have wanted.
Afghanistan Innings: A Spirited Chase
Chasing 281, Afghanistan needed their top order to come good. Not quite though. Early wickets set them back and the middle order mounted a spirited fightback.
Batting Scorecard (Afghanistan)
Hazratullah Zazai – 20 off 18 balls
Zazai started off in attacking mode but attempted to continue that which led to an early demise and put Afghanistan behind.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 48 off 54 balls
Gurbaz anchored the innings in the early overs of the innings. His sedate innings had 5 fours and a six, which always kept Afghanistan in the hunt .
Ibrahim Zadran 30 off 41 balls
A mistimed shot cut the short innings of Zadran once again, which was very important since Afghanistan needed the partnership to be longer in length in order to chase down the West Indies total.
Najibullah Zadran -65 off 60 balls
Najibullah Zadran’s powerhouse innings brought life into the Afghan chase as he started proceedings and brought much-needed aggression in the middle overs for Afghanistan along with M Nabi with 4 sixes.
Mohammad Nabi- 45 off 35 balls
Nabi, the veteran all-rounder gave it his all in the chase but fell in the 45th over to peg Afghanistan’s hopes of a successful chase back.
Rashid Khan – 18 off 12 balls not out
Rashid tried hard to take the team home at the end while asking rate kept climbing.
Extras: 12, 4 wides, 2 no balls, 6 leg-byes
Total: 260/9 in 50 overs
Bowling Highlights West Indies
Alzarri Joseph – 10 overs, 42 runs, 3 wickets
Joseph had fine work with the ball. The strike timings were really fantastic, removing batsmen at regular junctures. He troubled the Afghan batsmen for the entire duration of his spell with pace and bounce.
Jason Holder – 9 overs, 50 runs, 2 wickets
Holder continued playing his all-round role with his two important wickets. This helped Afghanistan as they never really managed to get going with long partnerships.
Akeal Hosein – 10 overs, 45 runs, 1 wicket
Hosein did the important job of sealing the middle overs and with his disciplined bowling, kept the Afghan batsmen at bay.
Odean Smith – 7 overs, 38 runs, 1 wicket
Smith’s pace was a lot to handle for the lower-order Afghan batsmen. He outsmarted Mohammad Nabi, too.
Key Moments and Turning Points
West Indies Power Play Advantage: West Indies used the first ten overs to maximum effect, where they score at a brisk run-rate, laying the platform for what was to be the final total.
Rashid Khan’s Game-Changing Spell: The leg-spinner Rashid Khan pegged West Indies back in the middle overs, and for a brief period, this turned the momentum in favour of Afghanistan.
Najibullah Zadran’s Counter-Attack: It was a dashing innings from Najibullah when Afghanistan seemed buried under the pressure of getting out of jail. His 65 runs were crucial in making the chase competitive.
Alzarri Joseph’s Wickets: First, the skill of Joseph to take key wickets at the death-removing Najibullah and Nabi-managed to ensure Afghanistan’s chase fell short.
Conclusion
This was a true match thriller, won by 20 runs due to the all-round performance presented by the West Indian cricket team. Afghanistan fought hard; though some brilliance from their middle-order batsmen and spinners was seen in this match, the early dominance with the bat shown by the West Indies was just big enough to surmount for them. That was a testimony to the strength between the two sides: the depth of the West Indies’ batting and Afghans’ spirit of fight.
This proved that their rivalry is growing up, and in near future, more thrilling matches are expected between them.
Also Read: Australian Men’s Cricket Team vs India National Cricket Team Match Scorecard
