Nabi’s late blitz propels Afghanistan to 293-9

Afghanistan finished their innings with 293-9 after a late-innings onslaught by Mohammad Nabi as his aggressive hitting in the final overs boosted the team’s total, setting up a challenging target at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

His aggressive hitting in the final overs helped Afghanistan recover from a middle-order collapse and set a challenging target for Bangladesh.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz gave Afghanistan a strong start, scoring 42 off 44 balls. However, he was dismissed lbw by Tanvir Islam after a precise arm ball struck him on the front pad. Gurbaz opted for a review, but ball-tracking confirmed the dismissal, leaving Afghanistan 99 for 1.

Later, a 74-run partnership was made by Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal. On 173 runs, Atal was caught and bowled by Saif Hassan for 29, Hashmatullah Shahidi departed for 2 when the score was 177-3.

Ibrahim Zadran looked set for a big score but fell agonisingly short of a century, run out for 95 off 111 balls by a brilliant direct throw from Nahid Rana, leaving Afghanistan at 186-4. He also scored 95 in the previous match.

Ikram Alikhil was bowled for 2, leaving Afghanistan at 188/5. Azmatullah Omarzai added 20 runs before being bowled by Tanvir Islam and Rashid Khan was caught by Towhid Hridoy off Mehidy Hasan Miraz for 8.

Afghanistan’s lower order also fell quickly: Nangeyalia Kharote was bowled by Hasan Mahmud for 10, A M Ghazanfar followed for a duck, leaving the score at 249/9.

In the end, Mohammad Nabi’s unbeaten 62 off 37 rescued Afghanistan, giving them momentum heading into the Bangladesh innings. Bilal Sami remained not out on 0.

NSA