Nabi fires Afghans into Sup 10s – Zimbabwe knocked out

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NAGPUR, India, March 12, (AFP): Mohammad Nabi’s brisk fifty and a clinical bowling performance helped Afghanistan knock Zimbabwe out of the World T20 with an emphatic 59-run win to storm into the Super 10s in Nagpur on Saturday.

Batting first, Afghanistan rode on a 98-run stand between Nabi (52) and Samiullah Shenwari (43) to post 186 for six, a score which proved to be a winning total after Zimbabawe were shot out for 127 in 19.4 overs.

In-form opener Mohammad Shahzad provided a blazing start to the innings with a 23-ball 40 but his departure saw Afghanistan lose their way to 63 for four.

Medium-pacer Tinashe Panyangara grabbed three wickets to rattle the top-order after left-arm spinner Sean Williams got dangerman Shahzad back in the dugout.

Nabi, who registered his highest T20 score, and Shenwari then got together to turn things around in the knockout encounter, with some precise power hitting. “Very happy with my performance, especially in this main match and it was a tough game in the qualifying round,” said Nabi.

The batting duo combined the right dose of caution and aggression and Shahzad’s early blitz made sure that the Zimbabwe attack looked pedestrian.

“The start was very good, the way Shahzad played in the first five overs. It was quite good. Then the three wickets put us under pressure, the coach (Inzamam-ul-Haq) told me to take singles until the 14th over and then the last six can be used for the big hits,” said Nabi.

“On that kind of pitch, 150 could be a winning target. But if you have wickets in hand, you can go for more.”

Zimbabwe, who remain winless against Afghanistan in five attempts so far, were never in the chase after losing their openers early.

Burdened by the increasing run-rate the Zimbabwe batting failed to get going with Sikandar Raza top-scoring with 15.

Leg-spinner Rashid Khan turned on the heat with a three-wicket haul as medium-pacer Hamid Hassan contributed with two scalps. In the second match of the day, Scotland won the battle of pride against Hong Kong by eight wickets via Duckworth/Lewis (D/L) method in an inconsequential Group A tie.

Chasing a revised target of 76 in 10 overs in the rain-hit match, Scotland cantered home with 12 balls to spare and registered their first win in an International Cricket Council tournament.

Earlier, the Preston Mommsen-led side bowled well to restrict Hong Kong, who remained winless in the 16-team event, to 127 for seven in 20 overs.

In Group A matches on Sunday, Ireland meet Netherlands while Bangladesh will fight it out with Oman for a place in the Super 10s.

Zimbabwe vs Afghanistan Scoreboard

NAGPUR, India, March 12, (AP): Scoreboard from the World Twenty20 Group B game between Zimbabwe and Afghanistan at the Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium:

AFGHANISTAN

Mohammad Shahzad c HMasakadza b Williams…………………………………………40

Noor Zadran c Raza b Panyangara………10

Asghar c Raza b Panyangara………………..0

Naib c Raza b Panyangara……………………7

Shenwari c Sibanda b Tiripano…………….43

Mohammad Nabi run out……………………52

Shafiqullah not out…………………………….9

Dawlat Zadran not out………………………..0

Extras: (4b, 4lb, 17w)……………………….25

TOTAL: (for 6 wickets)……………………186

Overs: 20.

Fall of wickets: 1-49, 2-50, 3-60, 4-63, 5-161, 6-184

Did not bat: Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan.

Bowling: Wellington Masakadza 4-1-31-0 (1w), Tendai Chatara 3-0-34-0 (2w), Donald Tiripano 3-0-41-1 (9w), Sean Williams 4-0-25-1, Tinashe Panyangara 4-0-32-3, Sikandar Raza 2-0-15-0 (5w).

ZIMBABWE

Vusi Sibanda c Hassan b Khan……………13

Hamilton Masakadza b Hassan…………..11

Richmond c NZadran b Nabi……………….10

Sean st. Shahzad b Khan……………………13

Malcolm Waller b Shenwari …………………7

Sikandar Raza b Hassan…………………….15

Elton c Shafiqullah b Khan…………………..10

Wellington Masakadza b DZadran………..6

Donald Tiripano run out ………………………2

Tinashe Panyangara not out………………17

Tendai c Shafiqullah b Stanikzai……………8

Extras: (11lb, 4w)…………………………….15

TOTAL: (all out)…………………………….127

Overs: 19.4.

Fall of wickets: 1-26, 2-43, 3-47, 4-59, 5-65, 6-90, 7-95, 8-98, 9-118, 10-127

Bowling: Dawlat Zadran 4-0-30-1 (2w), Hamid Hassan 3-0-11-2 (1w), Samiullah Shenwari 4-0-31-1, Mohammad Nabi 4-0-29-1 (1w), Rashid Khan 4-0-11-3, Asghar Stanikzai 0.4-0-4-1.

Result: Afghanistan won by 59 runs.

Toss: Afghanistan.

Umpires: Aleem Dar, Pakistan, and Richard Illingworth, England.

TV umpire: Ian Gould, England. Match referee: Javagal Srinath, India.

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