Chennai, February 20: Afghanistan achieved a remarkable victory against Canada in the T20 World Cup match held at MA Chidambaram Stadium on Thursday, winning by 82 runs. This victory marks Afghanistan’s fourth largest win by runs in T20 World Cup history.
Batting first, Afghanistan scored 200 runs for the loss of four wickets. In response, Canada managed only 118 runs, losing eight wickets in their allotted overs.
Afghanistan’s largest win by runs in T20 World Cup history was against Scotland, where they triumphed by 130 runs in 2021. The team also recorded a 125-run victory against Uganda in 2024 and an 84-run win over New Zealand in the same tournament.
Mohammad Nabi was the standout bowler for Afghanistan, claiming four wickets for just seven runs in four overs. This performance ranks as the third-best bowling figure for an Afghan bowler in T20 World Cup history. Fazalhaq Farooqi holds the record with five wickets for eight runs against Uganda in 2024, while Mujeeb-ur-Rahman took five wickets for 20 runs against Scotland in 2021. Rashid Khan also achieved four wickets for nine runs against Scotland in 2021.
Winning the toss and opting to bat, Afghanistan got off to a strong start with an opening partnership of 47 runs between Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran in just 5.3 overs. Gurbaz scored 30 runs off 20 balls, hitting five boundaries, before the team lost Gulbadin Naib for one run, leaving them at 49 runs.
From there, Sediqullah Atal partnered with Ibrahim Zadran to add 95 runs for the third wicket, bringing the score to 144 runs. Atal scored 44 runs off 32 balls before being dismissed, while Zadran remained unbeaten with a stellar 95 runs off 56 balls, including five sixes and seven fours. Jaskaran Singh was the top bowler for Canada, taking three wickets, while Dillon Heliger claimed one.
In reply, Canada could only muster 118 runs, losing eight wickets. Harsh Thaker was the top scorer for Canada with 30 runs off 24 balls, including four boundaries, while Saad Bin Jafar contributed 28 runs but could not secure a win for his team.
For Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi’s four wickets and Rashid Khan’s two wickets were instrumental in the victory. Additionally, Azmatullah Omarzai and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman each took one wicket.
