Bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Hamid Hassan picked three wickets each to completely dismantle the Namibian batting attack.
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Afghanistan absolutely destroyed Namibia on Sunday in the 2021 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Bowlers Naveen-ul-Haq and Hamid Hassan picked three wickets each to completely dismantle the Namibian batting attack. Afghanistan were the first to bat on the day and they scored 160-5 in 20 overs. In response, Namibia were restricted to 98-9 in 20 overs. It was an absolutely dominating performance that saw Afghanistan maintain their second spot in their group. David Wiese was the only one in the Namibian team who recorded a score in excess of 20 on the day, but even that was an extremely slow knock.
Naveen-ul-Haq was awarded the man of the match and rightfully so. The pacer picked three wickets in four overs and conceded only 26 runs in the process. Hamid Hassan also bowled a fantastic spell as he bagged three wickets in four overs and only gave away nine runs. It was economical bowling at its very best. Gulbadin Naib displayed a fine performance with the ball as he picked a couple of wickets in four overs and conceded just 19 runs. Spinner Rashid Kahn was among the wickets as usual as he picked one wicket in four overs for just 14 runs.
The Namibian batting lineup was utterly dismal on the day. Wiese was the highest run-scorer with 26 runs but he took 30 balls to get to the score. Not a single player apart from him made any significant contribution. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus was woeful as he only scored 12 runs off 14 deliveries.
Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Nabi combined to help Afghanistan post a total of 160/5 in 20 overs against Namibia. Shahzad smashed 45 runs off 33 deliveries in an innings comprising of three boundaries and two sixes. Nabi accumulated 32 runs from 17 balls with the knock including five fours and a maximum. Hazratullah Zazai and Asghar Afghan further made their presence felt with 33 and 31 runs respectively. The latter is playing the last game of his international career and has certainly bowed out on a stellar note. It will be interesting to see if the cricketer can end his journey with Afghanistan on a glorious note, with a sensational triumph against quality opposition.
“I want to give chance to youngsters now. It is the right time for the youngsters come forward. Most of the people asked to continue till the end of the tournament. But I thought this is the right time after the loss in the last game. There are plenty of memories. This is tough for me,” said Afghan as quoted by Cricbuzz.
Ruben Trumpelmann and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton were the pick of the bowlers for Namibia, accounting for two dismissals apiece. JJ Smit further chipped in with a wicket as well. Jan Frylinck and David Wiese were two players who failed to make much of an impact, leaking 34 and 33 runs respectively.
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