Afghanistan underlined their growing stature in T20 cricket with a composed 38-run victory over West Indies in Dubai, as a dominant batting display followed by ruthless spin bowling sealed a commanding win. Just a day after Afghanistan’s Under-19 side beat West Indies at the World Cup, the senior team delivered an equally clinical performance to continue their momentum ahead of next month’s T20 World Cup.
After being put under early pressure, Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli stitched together a magnificent 162-run partnership for the third wicket, lifting Afghanistan to an imposing 181 for 3. Zadran remained unbeaten on 87 off 56 balls, registering his fourth consecutive T20I half-century, while Rasooli’s fluent 84 provided the perfect counterbalance. Afghanistan later revealed the total was around 20 runs more than their powerplay target, and it proved comfortably out of reach.
West Indies’ chase never found rhythm on a surface that increasingly favoured slower bowlers. Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad combined to take six wickets, strangling the scoring rate and forcing errors through relentless accuracy. The visitors managed just 143 for 9, despite a brief resistance from debutant Quentin Sampson (30).
Afghanistan had stumbled to 19 for 2 early after a run-out and a sharp slip catch, but Zadran and Rasooli quickly seized control through intelligent strike rotation and selective aggression. Zadran’s straight-batted power punished anything full, while Rasooli broke a boundary drought with a decisive assault on Khary Pierre. West Indies’ troubles deepened with three dropped catches in the closing overs, allowing Afghanistan to cash in fully at the death.
The chase briefly flickered when Johnson Charles attacked Ziaur Rahman, but the seamer had the final say, returning later to remove Sampson and finish with 3 for 36. The decisive blow, however, came from Rashid Khan, whose tight lines and skidding pace produced 2 for 19, including the key wickets of Shimron Hetmyer and Amir Jangoo. With the required rate soaring and wickets tumbling, West Indies were never able to mount a late surge.
With batters setting the platform and spinners executing with precision, Afghanistan delivered a complete performance, reinforcing their credentials as one of the most dangerous sides in world T20 cricket. As preparations intensify for the global showpiece, this victory served as another reminder that Afghanistan are no longer underdogs, but genuine contenders.
