Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman claimed his maiden T20I hat-trick to lead his side to a 39-run win and take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-T20I series. Brandon King’s patient fifty and Shimron Hetmyer’s carnage-filled 17-ball 46 went in vain as West Indies were bowled out for 150 in 18.5 overs.
Dropped catches, Rasooli-Atal make West Indies pay
King opted to bowl first after winning the toss. Shamar Joseph struck early, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz for a single in his first over. Ibrahim Zadran got an early reprieve as his catch was dropped in the third over. In the fifth over, Matthew Forde dismissed Zadran for a 17-ball 22. In the sixth over, an in-form Darwish Rasooli hit three fours in a row. Afghanistan were 54/2 after powerplay overs. In the eighth over, Sediqullah Atal's catch was dropped as well. At the halfway stage, Afghanistan were 85/2.
ALSO READ: Dewald Brevis smashes 7 sixes in his SA20 best, leads Pretoria Capitals to final after 2 seasons
In the 13th over, Rasooli got to his fifty in just 27 balls. In the next over, Atal hit Ramon Simmonds for two consecutive sixes. He reached his half-century from 38 balls in the 16th over. Forde was brought back into the attack and he delivered by breaking the partnership. Atal scored 53 runs from 42 balls. Atal and Rasooli shared an 115-run partnership for the third wicket. In the next over, Rasooli was dismissed as well. Simmonds got his first and only wicket of the match. Rasolli scored 68 runs from 39 balls, including five fours and three sixes. In the penultimate over, Azmatullah Omarzai's catch as dropped. In the final over, Omarzai hit Gudakesh Motie for two consecutive sixes. 19 runs were scored off the final over as Afghanistan posted 189/4.
Slow start, Hetmyer’s carnage, then Mujeeb takes hat-trick
West Indies' run chase got off to a slow start with two boundaryless overs. In the third over, Athanaze was run out by Zadran for attempting a non-existent single. Evin Lewis and King struggled. West Indies had just 29 runs on the board after powerplay overs. On the last two balls of the eighth over, Mujeeb ended Lewis's stay at the crease and knocked over Johnson Charles. Lewis scored just 13 runs from 17 balls. Hetmyer provided a much-needed boost, hitting Noor Ahmad for three sixes in the 10th over. West Indies were 59/3 at the halfway stage.
In the next over, King tried to make up for the dot balls and hit skipper Rashid Khan for two sixes. Hetmyer's carnage continued. He hit Mohammad Nabi for two sixes as well. In the 14th over, Fazalhaq Farooqi got the breakthrough with Hetmyer's wicket. He scored 46 runs from 17 deliveries, featuring six sixes. In the 15th over, King reached his fifty from 40 balls. In the 16th over, Mujeeb returned to complete his hat-trick with King's wicket. The skipper scored 50 runs from 41 balls. On the third ball, he dismissed Quentin Sampson as well. In the slog overs, West Indies continued to collapse and were bowled out for 150 with seven balls left in the innings.
Mujeeb unaware of hat-trick
Mujeeb became the third Afghanistan bowler to take a hat-trick in T20Is. He is also the second bowler to claim a T20I hat-trick against West Indies.
“I didn't know that I was on a hat-trick because I had bowled earlier. The situation was also different and I was focusing on hitting the right area. When I got the wicket, then I knew I got the hat-trick. So happy for that. It's a good preparation for us before the World Cup, especially against the best side, the West Indies. They are a very good side. And for us, it can't be a better preparation than this. We go with a positive mindset to the World Cup,” ‘Player of the match’ Mujeeb said in the post-match presentation.
The third and final T20I of the series will be played on January 22. Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026, West Indies will look for a consolation win.