At the Daren Sammy National Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (IST), West Indies defeated Afghanistan by a commanding 104 runs thanks to the innings of Nicholas Pooran (98) and Obed McCoy (three for). This was the final group stage of the T20 World Cup.
West Indies was asked to bat first, and they scored the highest total by any team at this Men’s T20 World Cup with 98 off 53 from Pooran and 43 off 27 from Johnson Charles. This total beat Australia’s 201/7 against England in Barbados and Sri Lanka’s 201/6 against the Netherlands at the same venue.
At this T20 World Cup, Pooran’s incredible 98 was the greatest score of any player, surpassing the flawless 94 that USA’s Aaron Jones scored against Canada in Dallas.
In addition, Pooran surpassed Chris Gayle to own the record for the most sixes in Men’s T20I history by a West Indies player.
Afghanistan responded by scoring 114 runs in 16.2 overs, their first defeat of the T2 World Cup in 2024.
Windies got off to a quick start batting first. Even Brandon King’s wicket (7 off 6) in the second over did not deter the home team’s progress. However, Pooran and Charles both found their highest gear.
At the change of ends, Pooran was motivated to do something genuinely extraordinary by Charles’ three boundaries in the third over. Azmatullah Omarzai’s bowling caused the keeper-batter to erupt, scoring a 36-run over with 6, 5NB, 5WD, 0, 4LB, 4, 6, 6, according to ICC statistics.
An over has gone for 36 runs for the sixth time in Men’s T20I history, and the second time that has happened at a Men’s World Cup. The pair reached 50 in the last six of the Omarzai over.
At six overs, the two kept up their assault, taking West Indies to 92/1, the highest Powerplay total in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
Before the right-hander was removed to conclude the eighth over, Charles hit another boundary to help the Windies reach the 100-run milestone in 7.4 overs. It broke an 80-run partnership in just six overs. Drinks were reached by the hosts at 113/2.
When Pooran lifted the bat in the 14th over, Shai Hope’s cameo (25 off 17) kept the run rate in double digits. It was Pooran’s maiden half-century in a T20 World Cup.
During overs 12 to 15, boundaries dried up, lowering the hosts’ run rate to less than 10. Afghanistan’s bowlers were in control until the Windies passed 150 thanks to a six from Rovman Powell at the beginning of the 16th over.
Rashid Khan finished with 0/45 from his four overs after Pooran hammered him for 24 runs in the eighteenth over. In the 19th over, Powell was out for 26 off 15 runs, forcing Andre Russell to take the wicket.
At the beginning of the final over, Pooran was 15 runs shy of a century, so Russell tried to get him back on strike. Despite hitting two sixes and a single, Pooran was dismissed for 98 off 53 balls thanks to a fantastic throw by Omarzai.
With their highest-ever T20 World Cup score of 218/5, the West Indies achieved the highest-ever result in the tournament thus far.
Afghanistan lost a Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0 off 3) in the third over while chasing a massive target. By the end of the Powerplay, Gulbadin Naib and Ibrahim Zadran had taken Afghanistan to 45/1.
Then, in the next over, Gutakesh Motie struck, setting off a collapse that saw Afghanistan at 66/5 at the halfway stage of the innings.
Following a drink, Omarzai and Karim Janat struck sixes in the eleventh over, but Omarzai was out for 23 off 19 in the 13th over. Afghanistan suffered its first World Cup defeat when the Windies dominated on the field, bowling them out for 114.
Brief scores: West Indies 218/5 in 20 overs ( Nicholas Pooran 98, J Charles 43; Gulbadin Naib 2-14) beat Afghanistan 114 all out in 16.2 overs (Ibrahim Zadran 38, Obed McCoy 3-14) by 104 runs.