Zadran and Rasooli Lead Afghanistan to Dominant Victory Over West Indies in 1st T20I

Afghanistan defeated West Indies in a commanding fashion, thanks to quality batting performances by Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli. The duo put together a big partnership in the first innings, allowing Afghanistan to post a total of 181. The Afghans then backed it up with a clinical bowling display in the second innings, restricting the West Indies to just 143 runs. As a result, they won the match by 38 runs and took a 1-0 lead in the T20I series.

Batting first, Afghanistan started the innings poorly, as Rahmanullah Gurbaz got out on the first ball of the innings. Soon after him, Sediqullah Atal also lost his wicket for just 2 runs. This brought a lot of pressure on the Afghanistan lineup, however, the arrival of Darwish Rasooli at number three brought calmness to the batting.

Both Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli batted sensibly according to the situation to take the innings forward. Their counterattack unsettled the West Indies bowlers who looked clueless in the middle overs. By taking them on continuously, Zadran and Rasooli smashed stunning fifties and took the batting deep into the innings.

After scoring 84 runs, Darwish Rasooli lost his wickets on the last ball of the match. His partner, Ibrahim Zadran remained unbeaten, as his stunning knock of 87 runs allowed Afghanistan to post 181 at the end of the innings.

The reply of West Indies in the second innings was quite disappointing. They looked uncomfortable against Afghanistan bowlers from the start of the innings. The top order of West Indies was removed quickly, whereas the middle order also didn’t put up any fight.

Quentin Sampson and Matthew Forde then built a small partnership to take the chase forward. Due to the rising scoreboard pressure, they also lost their wickets towards the end, giving Afghanistan an upper hand in the match.

The tailenders of West Indies didn’t showcase any fight and were sent back to the pavilion quickly. As a result, Afghanistan restricted West Indies to just 143 and won the match by 38 runs. Darwish Rasooli was named Player of the Match, as his vital knock in the first innings proved decisive for Afghanistan to secure victory.