Afghanistan Thrash Ireland To Win Inaugural Desert T20 Challenge
Jan 28, 2019 at 3:17 PM
Afghanistan once again proved their immense credentials as one of the fastest-improving side in world cricket by registering an impressive 10-wicket win over Ireland in the title-decider of the inaugural Desert T20 Challenge.
Led by the Mohammad Nabi’s brilliant 4/10, Afghanistan bowled out Ireland for a paltry 71. Nabi was ably supported by his fellow bowlers as Amir Hamza, Fareed Ahmad and Karim Janat as all picked up two wickets apiece to leave Ireland in shambles.
At 32/2 in the fourth over, the European minnows were looking well placed to post a good total on the board. However, once their skipper William Porterfield was stumped off the bowling of Nabi, the Irish players fell like a pack of cards. Paul Stirling was the highest-scorer for them with 17 while eight batsmen could not even cross the double-digit mark in their disastrous batting display.
The target was never going to pose a tough challenge for Nawroz Mangal’s men, who were yet to lose a game in the tournament, and they chased down the total in style. Mohammad Shahzad’s 40-ball 52 helped Afghanistan chase down the target in only 7.5 overs without losing a wicket. On the other end, Mangal remained unbeaten on 17 off 8 balls.
Brief scores:
Afghanistan 75 for 0 (Shahzad 52*) beat Ireland 71 (Nabi 4-10) by ten wickets