Afghanistan suffered a massive 104-run loss against West Indies in the final group-stage match of the ongoing edition of the T20 World Cup 2024 at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia, on June 18 (Tuesday). The Afghan captain Rashid Khan was still confident despite the thumping defeat against former two-time champions. He said this setback was crucial for their campaign ahead.
Rashid Khan on loss against WI
Afghanistan faced their first defeat of the ongoing marquee event at the hands of West Indies. Rashid Khan was all praise for the Windies side but had a confident approach even in the face of defeat. He said their morale is still high and this loss does not affect them much.
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“They were incredible with the way they started in the powerplay but we pulled it back in the middle overs and it was a good effort to restrict them to under 220. It is good that happened in this game and take away the learnings into the next round. There was a strong breeze blowing and bowling into the wicket was the way to go. As a bowler, you need to come up with plans to keep the scoring to below under 10. The morale is still pretty high and this loss does not affect us. We have achieved our first goal of reaching the Super 8s and now it is about taking the next step,” said Rashid in the post-match presentation.
West Indies beat Afghanistan by 104 runs
West Indies put on a dominant performance against Afghanistan. They batting first posted a huge total of 218 runs with the help of a blazing knock from Nicholas Pooran. He smashed 98 runs off just 53 balls before getting out in the 20th over. He got support from the 43-run knock from Johnson Charles and good cameos from Shai Hope and Rovman Powell. Then in the second innings, Afghanistan were bowled out to 114 runs. Obed McCoy starred with a stunning three-wicket haul. Both teams have already qualified for the Super 8 stage and will now be gearing up for the next round of competition.
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