Sports Bulletin

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 3, 2021):-Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s two successive half-centuries in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have helped him overtake England’s Dawid Malan and grab the No. 1 position for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s two successive half-centuries in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 have helped him overtake England’s Dawid Malan and grab the No. 1 position for batters in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings. Babar, who scored 51 against Afghanistan and 70 against Namibia to lead the 2009 champions into the semifinals, is at the top for the sixth time in his career. The 27-year-old had first attained top position in 28 January 2018. He is presently also ranked No. 1 in ODIs. Babar’s tally of 834 rating points keeps him 36 points ahead of Dawid Malan but Babar’s career best remains 896 rating points that he achieved after scoring 65 against England at Cardiff on 5 May 2019. Malan had been at the top since 29 November last year. England’s performances in the tournament too reflect in the rankings, with both their openers Jos Buttler and Jason Roy moving up in the latest weekly update. Buttler has gained eight slots to reach a career-best ninth position after smashing his maiden T20I hundred against Sri Lanka while Roy is up five places to 14th. Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow of England during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on November 01, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Wanindu Hasaranga of Sri Lanka celebrates the wicket of Jonny Bairstow of England during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between England and Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on November 01, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has topped the bowling charts for the first time in his career after two successive three-wicket hauls against South Africa and England. He replaces South Africa’s Tabraiz Shamsi, who was at the top since 10 April this year. The top four bowlers in the rankings are all wrist spinners, with England’s Adil Rashid overtaking Afghanistan’s Rashid Khan to take third place with a career-best 730 rating points. A fast bowler who has made rapid rise is South Africa’s Anrich Nortje, who has gained 18 slots to reach seventh position. At the top of the all-rounders’ table, Mohammad Nabi has caught up with Shakib Al Hasan on 271 rating points. Hasaranga is fourth in this list. Some other notable movements: Batters Aaron Finch of Australia up three places to third Richard Berrington of Scotland up one place to 21st Rohit Sharma of India up one place to 23rd Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan up two places to 27th David Miller of South Africa up six places to 33rd Nicholas Pooran of the West Indies up nine places to 38th Craig Williams of Namibia up nine places to 44th Kane Williamson of New Zealand up six places to joint-46th Temba Bavuma of South Africa up 35 places to 52nd Bowlers Chris Jordan of England up four places to ninth Ish Sodhi of New Zealand up six places to 10th Mitchell Santner of New Zealand up four places to 17th Jasprit Bumrah of India up 10 places to joint-24th Imad Wasim of Pakistan up 10 places to 26th Shadab Khan of Pakistan up six places to 27th Dwaine Pretorius of South Africa up 65 places to 34th Shoriful Islam of Bangladesh up 77 places to 38th Mitchell Starc of Australia up eight places to 40th Trent Boult of New Zealand up 32 places to 41st Safyaan Sharif of Scotland up five places to 44th Jan Frylinck of Namibia up 13 places to 48th Jason Holder of the West Indies up 19 places to 50th All-rounders Liam Livingstone of England up 57 places to 10th

SPECIAL REPORT What has impressed me most about Pakistan at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has been their consistency. It is not usually something you associate with Pakistan. We always hear about an unpredictable Pakistan but in this tournament they have maintained their intensity, the catching has been good, the running between the wickets as well and as a unit they are performing to the standards we expect them to.  At international level, you make plans and you have to execute them. That is exactly what they are doing. A lot of the credit goes to the players who are working so hard and that is the platform that they have used to achieve what they are right now. But I think Saqlain Mushtaq also deserves a lot of praise for the work he is doing. He is not someone I have spent a lot of time with, but the one interaction I’ve had with him was a profound one. I was recovering from a back injury and was changing from bowling medium pace to bowling off spin. I used to hold the ball with four fingers and was talking about how leg spinners use the third finger and off spinners use two fingers to bowl. I still remember what he said to me. He said: “Your job is to put as many revolutions on the ball as possible and have more control, just bowl the ball in whatever way you can do these two things best.” It says a lot about his approach to coaching and the way he has empowered these players. Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander have of course been a big influence and Rameez Raja has given extra responsibility to Babar Azam as captain. When the captain has that responsibility, they feel confident making decisions. It is the same for the players. There are of course more factors in their success, but there is a freedom in this team for the players to express themselves. The environment is great for the players to succeed. I was pleased to see Pakistan decide to bat first against Namibia to give themselves a bigger challenge. Regardless of the opposition, it is not easy to bat in those conditions, but they did very well and now they are in a great position to top the group and avoid England, who are playing some great cricket, in the semi-final. Elsewhere in the group, I think New Zealand were very impressive against India. They are very good in ICC tournaments, but they still have a very tough game to come against Afghanistan, who I have loved watching. Hamid Hassan coming into their team has only strengthened their bowling and even without him, we saw how hard they pushed Pakistan. It will be an interesting contest against India. Virat Kohli talked about how India needed to be braver after the loss to New Zealand. Now they are playing the most courageous team in the tournament. Afghanistan are the only team who love to win the toss and bat. That should make for a great game and it is huge in the context of Group 2. It is not easy to get over a big defeat like India suffered to Pakistan and it felt against New Zealand that they had still not fully moved on. For their sake, they will hope to have put those defeats behind them against Afghanistan.

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Abu Dhabi (November 2, 2021):-Pakistan cruised to a 45-run victory over Namibia as opening pair Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan again starred with the bat to all but confirm their semi-final spot at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Tuesday night. Babar, 70, and Rizwan, 79 not out, became the first pair to share five T20I century stands with their second of the tournament as they put on 113 for the first wicket. Pakistan had started slowly but the Group 2 leaders smashed 130 from their last ten overs to register an imposing 189 for two. Namibia were always up against it and despite 40s from David Wiese and No.3 Craig Williams, fell well short of their target as Pakistan maintained their perfect record with a fourth consecutive Super 12s victory at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2021. Babar chose to bat but runs were hard to come by early on as Ruben Trumpelmann opened up with a maiden to Rizwan. Rizwan continued to struggle and JJ Smit thought he had him trapped lbw for two in the fifth over only for DRS to prove the ball had pitched just outside leg stump. Babar was by far the more fluent of the pair scoring 21 of the 29 Pakistan added in the powerplay without loss. For the eighth time in 19 T20I innings Babar and Rizwan brought up a 50 partnership, on this occasion from 55 balls, and at the halfway stage Pakistan were travelling nicely at virtually a run a ball with all ten wickets still in hand. Trumpelmann returned to the attack in the 12th over, his previous two going for just two runs, and was greeted with a six by Rizwan before Babar brought up his third half-century of the tournament from 39 balls as Pakistan put their foot on the gas. Some 30 runs had come from the last two overs and Rizwan finally looked to have found his groove, launching Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton for a meaty six down the ground before Babar brought up a magnificent 100 partnership in exactly 13 overs. But Wiese finally ended Babar’s impressive knock in the 15th over when he holed out in the deep for 70 off 49 balls, curtailing an opening stand of 113. And his replacement at the crease Fakhar Zaman soon joined him back in the hutch for five after a super one-handed grab from wicket-keeper Zane Green gave Jan Frylinck a deserved wicket. However, that was as good as things got for the bowling side as Mohammad Hafeez, 32 off 16 balls, and Rizwan, 79 off 50, launched into some astonishing late hitting with a partnership of 67 from just 26 balls. Rizwan had started slowly but brought up a 42-ball half-century with a six before brutally dismantling Smit in the final over, taking 24 from it to leave Namibia an unlikely 190 to win. That task got even harder when Hasan Ali’s delivery dismantled Michael van Lingen’s stumps in the second over of the chase. Stephen Baard picked up Haris Rauf for six over the legside as Namibia reached 34 for one off the powerplay, with the required run rate already over 11. Despite diving for his ground, Baard was run out by a combination of Haris and Rizwan for a promising run-a-ball 29 after Williams slipped and sent him back, ending a partnership of 47. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus raced to 14 off 6 as Namibia climbed to 70 for two after ten overs, still needing more than two runs a ball to pull off a remarkable victory. Erasmus was given a life when Shaheen Shah Afridi spilled a steepling catch off Shadab Khan, so it fell to the aggrieved bowler to see the back of the Namibia captain for 15, taking a simple catch off Imad Wasim. Williams’ valiant knock of 40 from 37 balls ended when he plinked one to long-off from Shadab’s final ball in the 14th over, with Namibia’s hopes fading fast with 97 off six overs still needed. Smit soon followed before Wiese was rapped on the head by Haris but bravely continued to wield the willow in vain, making an unbeaten 43 off 30 balls as Namibia eventually finished well adrift on 144 for five. Scores in brief Pakistan beat Namibia at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by 45 runs Pakistan 189/2, in 20 overs (Mohammad Rizwan 79 not out, Babar Azam 70; David Wiese 1/30, Jan Frylinck 1/31)  Namibia 144/5 in 20 overs (David Wiese 43 not out, Craig Williams 40; Imad Wasim 1/13, Hasan Ali 1/22)  Player of the Match: Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)  

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (November 2, 2021):-The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Sharafudin Ashraf as a replacement for Asghar Afghan in the Afghanistan squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved Sharafudin Ashraf as a replacement for Asghar Afghan in the Afghanistan squad. All-rounder Sharafudin, who has played 17 ODIs and nine T20Is, was approved as a replacement following concerns over Asghar’s mental wellbeing. Sharafudin was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 consists of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members).

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad(November 2,2021):-South Africa overcame Bangladesh by 6 wickets in ICC Men’s T 20 World Cup 2021 at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. African skipper Temba Bavuma decided to bowl first after winning the toss. South Africans bowlers succeeded to stop Bangladeshi batters only 84 runs in 20 overs game. Bangladeshi Opener Liton Das scored 24 runs and wasted large numbers of 36 balls in T20 cricket game while Mahedi Hasan added 27 runs in 25 deliveries as he smashed 2 fours and solitary six. Africans bowlers did outclass bowling and pacer Anrich Nortje bowled very beautifully and picked up 3 wickets and conceded only 8 runs in 4 overs while second opener Kagiso Rabada took 3 wickets for 20 runs. Spinner Tabraiz Shamsi got 2 wickets. In reply, South African batter chased 85 runs target in 14th over with 6 wickets in hand. Captain Temba Bavuma played a highly regarded innings and scored 31 runs and faced 28 balls. He hit 3 fours and single six. One down batter Rassie van der Dussen scored22 runs in27 balls while wicket keeper batter Quinton de Kock added 16 runs only. Bangladeshi pacer Taskin Ahmed came back in the team and sent 2 batters back to the pavilion. Mahedi Hasan and Nasum Ahmed got a single wicket each. Kagiso Rabada declared man of the match. Summarized Scorecard: South Africa beat Bangladesh at Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by six wickets Bangladesh 84 all out, in 18.2 overs (Mahedi Hasan 27, Liton Das 24; Anrich Nortje 3/8, Kagiso Rabada 3/20)  South Africa 86/4, in 13.3 overs (Temba Bavuma 31 not out, Rassie van der Dussen 22; Taskin Ahmed 2/18, Mahedi Hasan 1/19)  Player of the Match: Kagiso Rabada (South Africa)   +  

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 2, 2021):-Pakistan and Bangladesh feature in a highly anticipated match on the opening day of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier 2021 to be played across four venues in Harare from 21 November to 5 December. The 10-team tournament gets off with a set of warm-up matches on 19 November, after which the south Asian rivals will play at the Old Hararians Club on 21 November. There will be three other matches played concurrently on the same day – West Indies versus Papua New Guinea (Sunrise Cricket Club), Thailand v Zimbabwe (Harare Sports Club) and Ireland v Netherlands (Takashinga Cricket Club). The match between the 2016 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup champions West Indies and Sri Lanka will be another high-profile match during the preliminary league of the tournament which sees the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea and the Netherlands in Group A, and Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe and the United States in Group B. There is no knockout stage in the competition, with the preliminary league, consisting of five teams each in two groups, followed by a Super Six stage to decide the final positions at the end of 29 matches. The Zimbabwe tournament is an important one on the calendar as it decides three qualifiers for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup 2022 to be held in New Zealand from 4 March to 3 April, joining five teams who have already qualified through the ICC Women’s Championship – Australia, England, India, South Africa and hosts New Zealand. The three qualifiers as well as the next two teams will also ensure places in the next ICC Women’s Championship (IWC) along with the top five from last time, as the number of teams in the third cycle of the IWC goes up from eight to 10 teams. All fixtures are day matches starting at 09h30 local time. Group A: West Indies, Sri Lanka, Ireland, Papua New Guinea, Netherlands Group B: Pakistan, Bangladesh, Thailand, Zimbabwe, USA    

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Sharjah (November 1, 2021):-Jos Buttler’s maiden T20I hundred helped England come through a test against Sri Lanka by 26 runs in Sharjah to all but confirm their semi-final place. After being put in to bat for the first time in this tournament, England stumbled to 35 for three before Buttler scored the first century of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 to guide Chris Silverwood’s men to 163 for four. After Buttler’s heroics, you always felt Sri Lanka were behind in the chase, losing wickets at crucial times and eventually being bowled out 26 runs short. Having taken 12 off the opening over, it looked like it could have been business as usual for England but Wanindu Hasaranga had other ideas, bowling Jason Roy with a googly, the opener only able to make nine before having to depart. Out came MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I World No.1 batter Dawid Malan, but he could not last much longer, surviving being dropped by keeper Kusal Perera before being bowled next ball by Dushmantha Chameera to see England reduced to 34 for two. Jonny Bairstow fared even worse, going for a golden duck, as Sri Lanka correctly reviewed for lbw, and captain Eoin Morgan was needed to do a job alongside Jos Buttler. By the halfway mark in their innings, Buttler and Morgan had moved England to just 47 for three, but from there Buttler took the initiative, hitting the first boundary for five overs before smashing Chamika Karunaratne for a four and a six in back-to-back balls. Buttler brought up his fifty from 45 balls before Eoin Morgan got in on the act, reverse sweeping for four. The next over, England finally started to motor, smashing three sixes to take 22 off Lahiru Kumara and move their total past 100, Buttler adding 13 runs off just four balls. Hasaranga had gone for two for 13 from his first three overs, and having seen the ball smashed back over his head for six by Morgan he got revenge by bowling him, only after the England captain had made 40 and added 106 alongside Buttler. With Buttler needing just seven for a maiden T20I century, he launched the ball high but was dropped as Pathum Nissanka was unable to hold on to the ball. And needing six off the final ball for his hundred, Buttler dutifully dispatched a Chameera full toss on the leg side for six to move England on to 164. Buttler was straight back into the action, running out Nissanka before Charith Asalanka tried one heave too many and was caught for 21 off 16 as England got their second wicket of the powerplay. Perera was next to go, Morgan taking a difficult catch off the bowling of Adil Rashid, but Sri Lanka still ended the powerplay on 40 for three, four runs more than England, but the Lions would need a Jos Buttler. Avishka Fernando was not going to be that man as he was given out plumb lbw, sent back to the pavilion for 13 off 14 deliveries before the Lions reached the halfway mark at 66 for four. Having conceded 12 runs off the first four balls of his second over, Tymal Mills was forced to go off with a quad injury with Morgan required to rejig his attack. Sam Billings came on as a sub and was involved in a tandem catching effort with Roy to dismiss Hasaranga who had batted valiantly, adding 34 from 21 balls. Buttler was at it again, with a long-range direct hit to dismiss a stranded Dasun Shanaka before Chameera fell in the same Chris Jordan over as Sri Lanka slipped to 134 for eight. Eventually, Sri Lanka succumbed in the penultimate over, Moeen Ali finishing the job as Eoin Morgan became the most successful captain in men’s T20I cricket with his 43rd win in the shortest format. Scores in brief England beat Sri Lanka at Sharjah Cricket Stadium by 26 runs England 163/4 in 20 overs (Jos Buttler 101 not out, Eoin Morgan 40; Wanindu Hasaranga 3/21, Dushmantha Chameera 1/43) Sri Lanka 137 all out in 18.6 overs (Wanindu Hasaranga 34, Bhanuka Rajapaksa 26, Dasun Shanaka 26; Adil Rashid 2/19, Chris Jordan 2/24) Player of the Match: Jos Buttler (England)

SPECIAL REPORT  Shoaib Malik has hailed the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room as a key factor behind his side’s impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Shoaib Malik of Pakistan looks on during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match between Pakistan and New Zealand at Sharjah Cricket Stadium on October 26, 2021 in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Shoaib Malik has hailed the spirit in the Pakistan dressing room as a key factor behind his side’s impressive start to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Victories over India, New Zealand – against whom Malik compiled a crucial unbeaten 26 in the chase – and Afghanistan have put Pakistan top of Group 2 going into Tuesday’s clash with Namibia in Abu Dhabi. A fourth straight win would leave Saqlain Mushtaq’s men with one foot in the semi-finals and keep the feel good factor going in a squad whose confidence is growing with every passing game. “Morale is high,” Malik said. “Obviously when you win games, the confidence level is quite high in the dressing room. “Everyone is looking forward to playing the rest of the games we have left in the tournament. “When you start the tournament, the goal is to give your best shot as a team. But since I've joined the team, I've seen Pakistan teams practise sessions and the way they have been dealing with pressure from the world until now, it's been exceptionally good. “And I guess to see consistency in Pakistan dressing room, that's the biggest thing for me so far, everyone's helping each other. “It's a team game. When you're playing a team game, then you need your teammates' help, you need a lot of support from your management. And I see all of that coming.” Namibia will go into the contest looking to bounce back after a 62-run defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday. Pierre de Bruyn’s side began the Super 12s stage with a memorable victory over Scotland and are now bidding to claim a notable scalp to keep their own semi-final dreams alive. And whatever happens in Abu Dhabi, de Bruyn has been proud to witness how his players have brought together a nation with their exploits in the tournament so far. “What this team, what these players have done in the last couple of weeks to inspire the nation back home and to inspire all the young players and kids in Namibia to play cricket has been enormous,” he said. “I can't explain how big it is, what this team have achieved in terms of inspiration and getting a lot of young people to play cricket. “It is a very good Namibian story but I also believe it's been a very good, inspiring cricket story. “We're showing as a very small nation with two and a half million people that it can be done. It can be done by really hard work, by really good planning and getting a group of players together and sharing the same vision, sharing the same culture. “I think that is what this story is about. It doesn't matter whether you always have the resources around you. You can make it happen. “The last 24 hours [since the Afghanistan match] was a matter of just trying to relax because we know how big this game is and what we're going to face. “It’s important we take the learnings from last night and improve on those points. Tomorrow is going to be a great experience for the players but we need to be 20 per cent better.”

Report: ABDULLAH ASJAD Islamabad (October 31, 2021):- New Zealand trounced India by 8 wickets in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at Dubai Cricket Stadium on Sunday night.   New Zealand’s Captain Kane Williamson won the toss and decided to bowl first. The Indian strong batting line put only 111 runs on the scoreboard. Indian top order did not start in good style, as the opening batter KL Rahul scored 18 runs in 16 balls and hit only 3 fours. Other opener Ishan Kishan scored just 4 runs. Hardik Pandya played a bit responsible innings and added 23 runs. Left handed batter Ravindra Jadeja increased 26 runs in team total. Kiwis bowlers bowled superbly against a strong Indian batting line. Pacer Trent Boult crashed Indian batting and sent 3 batters back to the pavilion and gave only 20 runs in his 4 overs while Spin bowler Ish Sodhi picked up 2 important wickets and sent out danger man Rohit Sharma and Indian skipper Virat Kohli, who had scored 51 runs against Pakistan on last Sunday, just scored 9 runs as he wasted 17 deliveries. In reply, Black Caps chased a small 111 runs target in only the 14th over and wasted only 2 wickets. Daryl Mitchell played an aggressive innings and scored 49 runs in only 35 balls as he smashed 4 fours and 3 huge sixes. Skipper Kane Williamson got 33 runs on 31 balls. Martin Guptill scored only 20 runs. Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah picked up a couple of wickets after conceding only 19 runs. Kiwis spinner Ish Sodhi got man of the match award. Summarized score card New Zealand beat India at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai by eight wickets  India 110/7, in 20 overs (Ravindra Jadeja 26, Hardik Pandya 23; Trent Boult 3/20, Ish Sodhi 2/17)  New Zealand 111/2, in 14.3 overs (Daryl Mitchell 49, Kane Williamson 33 not out; Jasprit Bumrah 2/19, Mohammed Shami 0/11)  Player of the Match: Ish Sodhi (New Zealand)  

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD (October 31, 2021):-Afghanistan got their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign back on track with a thumping 62-run victory over Namibia. Mohammad Nabi’s side went against the grain and chose to bat first in Abu Dhabi, posting 160 for five from their 20 overs with opener Mohammad Shahzad making 45. Namibia never looked like chasing it down, losing wickets at regular intervals and ending 98 for nine. For Afghanistan, it was a resounding response to their narrow defeat to Pakistan as they stayed second in Group 2. Taking first use of the Sheikh Zayed surface, Afghanistan’s openers looked to target the left-arm seam of Ruben Trumpelmann that did such damage to Scotland in Namibia’s four-wicket win. The fifth ball of the game was an overpitched delivery that Hazratullah Zazai climbed into and lifted over long-on for six. Trumpelmann was taken out of the attack, returning in the fourth over, but the dynamic was the same as Hazratullah took him for two well-placed fours through the gully region. Southpaw Hazratullah was at his ebullient best and smoked Jan Frylinck over the midwicket fence for six. His partner Shahzad took longer to hit his straps but did so in the final over of the powerplay, swiping David Wiese through midwicket for four and then flaying him over third man for six. When fielding restrictions were lifted, Afghanistan were 50 without loss. JJ Smit’s nagging left-armers looked most threatening for Namibia and he broke the opening stand when Hazratullah picked out deep square leg, departing for 33 from 27 balls. Skipper Gerhard Erasmus turned to the wildcard leg-spin of Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, whose first over went for two and ended with a ball that ripped past Shahzad’s outside edge. The 21-year-old accounted for Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the tenth, trapping him in front for four at 69 for two. Shahzad was still there and continued to pepper the midwicket boundary, before top edging a catch to Bernard Scholtz and heading back for a pivotal 45. Asghar Afghan came to the crease and struck the ball well in his final T20I innings, despite losing his first partner Najibullah Zadran LBW to Loftie-Eaton. He got down on one knee to smash Fylinck over long off for six and helped take a Smit over for 16 runs with two boundaries behind square. Nabi, Asghar’s successor as Afghanistan’s T20 captain, offered his usual flurry at the finish with an excellent cameo of 32 from 17 balls, with five fours and a six off Trumpelmann. Namibia’s chase faltered at the first when Craig Williams skied the fourth ball of the innings, bowled by Naveen-ul-Haq, comfortably caught by Usman Ghani. Nabi fared well with the bat but less so with the ball at first as he was dispatched by Michael van Lingen for six over long-on and then by Loftie-Eaton through the arc for another maximum. Namibia expected a trial by spin but it was Naveen’s seam that hurt them up front when Van Lingen fell for a clever slower ball and was caught at square leg for 11 at 16 for two. And Gulbadin Naib’s medium pace dismissed Loftie-Eaton as he tried to swipe a cutter across the line only to be clean bowled. The re-introduction of spin did the trick when Rashid Khan bowled Zane Green when he attempted a paddle sweep to the wrong ball, making it 36 for four. Namibia could not build any kind of partnerships and lost two wickets in four balls when Hamid Hassan yorked Erasmus for 12 and then got Smith to snick behind for a duck at 56 for six. Wiese and Frylinck stemmed the tide for a few overs without being able to score at a prolific rate, the latter trudging off after looping Naveen to Nabi at mid-off. Another tame dismissal came as Pikky Ya France offered a simple return catch for Gulbadin but Wiese got a good one as he was bowled by a full Hassan delivery for 26. Scores in Brief: Afghanistan beat Namibia by 62 runs at Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi Afghanistan 160/5 in 20 overs (Mohammad Shahzad 45, Hazratullah Zazai 33; Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 2/21, Ruben Trumpelmann 2/34) Namibia 98/9 in 20 overs (David Wiese 26, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton 14; Hamid Hassan 3/9, Naveen-ul-Haq 3/26) Player of the Match: Naveen-ul-Haq (Afghanistan)