SAINT LUCIA: Nicholas Pooran played a stellar 98-run knock, while the bowlers exhibited a dominant performance, propelling West Indies to a resounding win over Afghanistan in an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 encounter at the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Monday.
The Caribbean side registered a huge 104-run victory to remain undefeated in the group stage of the ongoing tournament, while Afghanistan suffered their first loss.
Afghanistan, while chasing a mammoth 219-run target, bundled out for 114 in 16.2 overs.
West Indies’ spinner Akeal Hosein started the defence with a wicket maiden over, dismissing star batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz on a duck.
Ibrahim Zadran then constructed a one-sided partnership of 45 runs for the second wicket with Gulbadin Naib (7).
However, West Indies bowlers halted Afghanistan’s progress with three quick wickets to leave the batting side reeling at 59-4.
Gudakesh Motie dismissed Naiib, while Ibrahim and Najibullah Zadran fell prey to Obed McCoy in the same over.
Ibrahim Zadran top-scored with 38 runs from 28 balls, with the help of five boundaries and one six.
Azmatullah Omarzai showed some resistance amid falling wickets with a 23-run knock from 19 balls, while Karim Janat (14) and Rashid Khan (18) played quick cameos but could not bring their side back in the game.
Rashid Khan was the last wicket to fall as his team folded for a paltry 114 in 16.2 overs.
McCoy led the bowling for West Indies with the figures of 3-14, while Hosein and Motie bagged two wickets each.
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Sent into bat by Afghanistan, the co-hosts of the tournament started their innings with a boundary off the first delivery.
The opening pair of Brandon King (7) and Johnson Charles raised 22 runs in the first ten balls with four boundaries before Azmatullah Omarzai castled the former.
Charles was joined on the crease by Pooran and together launched an onslaught on Afghanistan bowlers. They took only 38 balls to score 80 runs for the second wicket.
Pooran decimated Omarzai in the fourth over, which went for 36 runs, hitting 26 runs with three sixes and two fours.
Charles and Pooran propelled West Indies to 92-1 in the powerplay, which is the highest in a T20 World Cup game.
However, Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed Charles in the eighth over to break the partnership with 102 runs on the board. Chares scored 43 off 27 with eight boundaries.
Pooran slowed down briefly after the powerplay, while Shai Hope played a quick 25-run cameo off 17 balls with two sixes to keep West Indies in control.
Skipper Rovman Powell joined Pooran and they started things cautiously before switching gears after the 15th over.
During the 64-run stand, Pooran hit Rashid Khan for 24 runs in the 18th over before Gulbadin Naib sent Powell back. The West Indian captain scored 26 runs from 15 balls.
Meanwhile, Pooran fell courtesy of a runout in the last over after playing a blistering knock of 98 runs from 53 balls, laced with six boundaries and eight sixes.
Andre Russell (3) and Sherfane Rutherford (1) remained unbeaten as West Indies posted a mammoth 218-5 in 20 overs.
Gulbadin Naib led the bowling charts for Afghanistan with two wickets, while Omarzai and Naveen-ul-Haq managed one each.
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