Nabi finished with figures of 4-20 off his four overs
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi took four wickets and opening batsman Mohammad Shahzad hammered a quickfire 41 to lead their side to a six-wicket win over Hong Kong.
With Hong Kong having lost their opening match to Zimbabwe, they needed to beat Afghanistan to keep their hopes of advancing to the Super 10 stage alive. However, as a result of the loss, they now have no chance of making it through.
Choosing to bat first, Hong Kong got off to a solid start as Ryan Campbell and Jamie Atkinson amassed a 40-run partnership before Campbell, who was looking in ominous form, was bowled by Nabi after the ball rolled off his helmet and went on to hit the stumps.
Campbell’s valiant effort with both the bat and ball went in vain
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Following Campbell’s departure, Hong Kong began to collapse as Babar Hayat fell two balls later before Atkinson, Mark Chapman and Nizakat Khan joined him in the pavilion.
With Hong Kong struggling to mount any sort of offence, Anshuman Rath took it upon himself to guide his side to a respectable total as he struck a solid 28 not out.
Thanks to Rath’s efforts, Hong Kong finished on 116/6 off their 20 overs.
Nabi was the pick of the bowlers with four wickets, while Rashid Khan and Gulbadin Naib chipped in with one wicket apiece.
Chasing 117 to win, Afghanistan got off to a fantastic start as Shahzad and Noor Ali Zadran put together a 70-run partnership before Shahzad was dismissed by Campbell for 41 off 40 balls, which included four boundaries and two sixes.
Nabi managed to make 17 runs before he was cleaned up by Campbell and Hong Kong pulled themselves back into contention with the wickets of Zadran and Shafiqullah.
However, Hong Kong’s hopes of completing a fairytale come-from-behind win was not to be as Najibullah Zadran and Naib mopped up the remaining runs to get Afghanistan across the finish line.
Campbell was the most successful bowler with two wickets, while Nadeem Ahmed claimed one.
Hong Kong captain Tanwir Afzal was disappointed to have lost, and said: “We got a good start and we were in a position to score 140-145. Not easy to score early on, we missed key moments. Hard to bat on. So many positive things we can take from these two games, we’ll regroup and come back with confidence in the next match against Scotland.”
Afghanistan skipper Asghar Stanikzai was thrilled to have beaten Hong Kong, and said: “They played really well but Nabi bowled well. Rashid too bowled very well, and our fielding was good. Our team is very confident and our whole team is in very good form.”
Nabi was named Man of the Match, and said: “Very happy with my performance. My best figures in a World Cup. Pitch conditions totally slow and I decided to use my variations. I’m ready in all situations.”