Chennai, February 20: Afghanistan achieved a remarkable victory against Canada in the T20 World Cup match held at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, winning by 82 runs. This victory marks Afghanistan’s fourth-largest win in terms of runs in T20 World Cup history.

Batting first, Afghanistan scored 200 runs for the loss of 4 wickets. In response, Canada could only manage 118 runs, losing 8 wickets in the process.

Afghanistan’s largest victory margin in T20 World Cup history was against Scotland, where they won by 130 runs in 2021. They also secured a 125-run victory against Uganda in 2024 and won by 84 runs against New Zealand in the same tournament.

Mohammad Nabi stood out with the ball, taking 4 wickets for just 7 runs in 4 overs, marking the third-best bowling figure for Afghanistan in T20 World Cup history. Fazalhaq Farooqi holds the record with 5 wickets for 8 runs against Uganda in 2024, while Mujeeb Ur Rahman took 5 wickets for 20 runs against Scotland in 2021. Rashid Khan also achieved 4 wickets for 9 runs against Scotland in 2021.

Winning the toss and opting to bat, Afghanistan’s opening pair of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid start, contributing 47 runs in just 5.3 overs. Gurbaz scored 30 runs off 20 balls, hitting 5 fours.

Sediqullah Atal then partnered with Zadran, adding 95 runs for the third wicket off 59 balls, taking the team to a total of 144 runs. Atal scored 44 runs off 32 balls, while Zadran remained unbeaten at 95 runs, hitting 5 sixes and 7 fours in his 56-ball innings. Jaskaran Singh was the standout bowler for Canada, taking 3 wickets, while Dillon Heliger claimed 1 wicket.

In their innings, Canada’s Harsh Thakur scored 30 runs off 24 balls, while Saad Bin Jafar contributed 28 runs, but their efforts were not enough to secure a win.

Mohammad Nabi’s exceptional bowling and Zadran’s stellar batting were crucial in leading Afghanistan to this significant victory.

Related