West Indies beat Afghanistan by 15 runs in the third T20I at Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Shamar Springer grabbed a hat-trick in the 19th over to help his team avoid a series whitewash. Afghanistan won the series 2-1 despite the loss.
Springer took four wickets for 20 runs in his spell. His hat-trick victims were Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, and Shahidullah Kamal. He became the third West Indies bowler to take a T20I hat-trick after Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd.
West Indies posted 151 for seven wickets after being put in to bat. Stand-in captain Brandon King top-scored with 47 runs off 35 balls. The innings struggled in the middle overs with no boundaries scored between overs nine and 14. Matthew Forde came in late and blasted 27 runs off just 11 balls to push the total past 150.
The last three overs brought 40 runs for the West Indies. This late surge made the difference between a defendable and chaseable total. Afghanistan needed to chase 152 runs to complete a 3-0 sweep.
SUGGESTED READ: Understanding T20 World Cup cricket
Afghanistan’s Strong Start
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave Afghanistan a solid start. The pair put on 72 runs for the first wicket. Gurbaz scored 71 runs off 58 balls with eight fours and a six. He got hit on the face by a throw while backing up, but resumed batting after medical attention.
Afghanistan reached 94 for one wicket after 14 overs. They needed just 58 runs from the last six overs with nine wickets in hand. The match looked set for an easy Afghanistan win at that stage.
Rashid Khan bowled brilliantly for Afghanistan earlier in the match. He took two wickets for just 13 runs in his four overs. His spell kept the West Indies under pressure during their innings. Rashid now has 694 wickets in T20 cricket and needs six more to reach 700.
West Indies started taking wickets in the death overs to put pressure back on Afghanistan. The visitors needed 25 runs off the last 12 balls with wickets still in hand. The match was heading towards a close finish.
Springer’s Match-Winning Over
Shamar Springer came on to bowl the 19th over with Afghanistan needing 30 runs. He dismissed Gurbaz, caught at midwicket off the first ball. Rashid Khan walked in and got caught at deep third off the second delivery. Shahidullah Kamal came next, and Springer bowled him with a yorker to complete the hat-trick.
The over completely changed the match. Afghanistan lost three wickets and scored only five runs. Ramon Simmonds then defended 19 runs in the final over to seal the win. Gulbadin Naib got run out in that last over, trying to force the pace.
This series made history as the first between full member nations to have multiple hat-tricks. Mujeeb Ur Rahman took a hat-trick for Afghanistan in the second T20I. Springer matched that feat two days later in Dubai.
West Indies avoided getting swept 3-0 in the series. Brandon King led well as the stand-in captain and delivered with the bat. Springer’s heroics in the penultimate over saved the team from what looked like a certain defeat.
Afghanistan heads to India next for the T20 World Cup starting February 7. Their first match is against New Zealand on February 8. West Indies will play a three-match T20I series against South Africa starting January 27 before traveling to India.
For more cricket news and match updates, visit JeetWin Creatives.
The post WI vs AFG 3rd T20I: West Indies Beat Afghanistan by 15 Runs as Shamar Springer Takes Hat-Trick appeared first on JeetWin Blog.
