Less than 24 hours after Afghanistan's recent defeat against Pakistan, former skipper Asghar Afghan, who holds the record of most T20I wins as captain, had announced his decision to retire after the match against Namibia. October 31 (today) was a day to remember for Afghanistan cricket's prominent figure, who saw his side recover from the Pakistan drubbing and defeat Namibia by 62 runs in the Super 12 Group 2 contest in Abu Dhabi.
The ex-skipper chipped in with a 23-ball 31 cameo in his farewell game before Mohammad Nabi decided to up the ante with 32 from 17 deliveries, helping Afghanistan notch up 160 runs on the scoreboard.
Afghan was out in the penultimate over as he holed out to Michael van Lingen at backward point off Trumpelmann. He hit three fours and one six. Several Namibia players shook hands with Afghan while he walked off the ground. In response, a top-order slump and regular fall of wickets confounded the Namibian batting unit as they were restricted to just 98/9 in the lop-sided encounter.
In a clinical bowling display by the Afghan side, Naveen-ul-Haq and Hamid Hassan picked up three wickets while Gulbadin Naib added two to his name.
Rashid scripts history
Three early wickets in Powerplay dented Namibia's run-flow as they snailed to 55/4 at the end of tenth over. A clinical bowling display by the Afghan bowlers didn't allow the opposition batters to free their arms, making life difficult for them as the game progressed.
Naveen-ul-Haq struck in the very first over as he removed Craig Williams (1) on the fourth delivery. Michael van Lingen (11 off 8) departed in the third over before Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton (14 from 16) joined him in the dugout.
Rashid Khan came into the attack and delivered straightaway, castling Zane Green on the first delivery. The star tweaker also became the fastest player to 100 wickets in T20 Internationals. He finished with figures of 1/14 in four overs.
Asghar Afghan bids adieu
It was an end of a remarkable career! One of the primary figures of Afghanistan cricket, Asghar was given a guard of honour from his teammates outside the boundary. His last hurray had a long final walk, bats being raised for him, and emotions at their peak. The
Afghan fans also saluted the legendary limited-overs captain from the stands. The 33-year-old right-handed batter, who was earlier known as Asghar Stanikzai, has played six Tests, 114 ODIs and 75 T20Is after making debut in 2009.
"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," an emotional Asghar said in the mid-innings break.
Mohammad Nabi's late surge
Afghanistan's innings started off well, with Hazratullah Zazai (33 off 27 deliveries) and Mohammad Shahzad (45 from 33 balls) adding 53 for the opening wicket. The pair's fifty-run partnership that featured boundaries at regular intervals helped to set the tone.
A Shahzad upper-cut six, palmed off a leaping third man over the ropes, marked the end of the first six overs and inefficiency of Namibia to pluck an early breakthrough. Zazai and Shahzad would have added a few more runs but picked out Zazai Michael van Lingen just after the Powerplay.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (4) perished too before Asghar and Mohammad Nabi produced a late flourish. Asghar's 31 off 23 deliveries was followed by Nabi's quick-fire 32 laced with 5 fours and a maximum.
On the bowling front, Ruben Trumpelmann, who truck three times in the very first over of the match against Scotland, added two more plucks to his name. Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton also added two dismissals under his belt while JJ Smit picked one wicket.
