Mohammad Nabi Heroics Against SL: A Warrior Who Roared at the End

Afghanistan’s Asia Cup 2025 campaign ended with a defeat against Sri Lanka at Abu Dhabi. However, the performance from their most experienced cricketer, Mohammad Nabi, stole the show. His heroics at the end took everyone by surprise when he single-handedly changed the total on the scoreboard. The Sri Lankan bowlers weren’t expecting this onslaught, as Nabi came out of the syllabus at the end.   

Batting first, Afghanistan wanted to score big in the batting-friendly conditions of Abu Dhabi. Their ace opener, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, started off well by hitting two sixes. It was undoubtedly a good pitch for batting, but the skill of Sri Lankan bowlers changed the course.

Nuwan Thushara gave early shocks in the innings, as he removed both Afghan openers cheaply. His ripper to Sediqullah Atal was specifically unplayable, and then Karim Janat also fell to his vicious delivery. This set the tone for other Sri Lankan bowlers, as they came to the party by picking up more wickets.

As a result, the Afghanistan innings went nowhere. The pressure applied by Sri Lankan bowlers was so high that batters weren’t able to even take singles and rotate strike. Due to this, building a partnership during the middle overs became difficult.

Afghanistan’s go-to striker, Azmatullah Omarzai, also couldn’t do much in the middle, as he succumbed to the pressure after scoring just 6 runs. This was the crunch time when Afghanistan needed someone to stand. They needed an experienced hand that could steady their sinking batting ship.

Mohammad Nabi Enters the Field

To calm the situation and nerves, Mohammad Nabi came into bat at the 7th position. He was accompanied by Ibrahim Zadran at the other end, who was trying to take the game deep. Mohammad Nabi also told him to just stay in the middle and build a partnership for some time. The veteran batter has loads of experience in batting under such conditions. He knew what needed to be done, as Sri Lankan bowlers kept increasing the pressure.

However, Ibrahim Zadran, due to inexperience, didn’t understand the situation. He once again tried to take on the in-form Chameera and ended up losing his wicket. This was a big blow to Afghanistan, as Zadran was looking well set at the crease.

After the departure of Zadran, Rashid Khan came in at the 8th position. He played with some wisdom alongside Nabi to steady the Afghan innings. The duo knew that they could go big at the end if they didn’t lose any wickets further. That was the main plan, and Mohammad Nabi played according to that.

Rashid Khan tried to hit some boundaries, as Nabi was concentrating on taking singles and doubles. This strategy provided some results, as the scoreboard started ticking once again. Rashid Khan took down Dasun Shanaka in the 15th over by smashing four and a six on consecutive balls.

However, due to tight bowling by Sri Lanka, the downfall of Rashid finally came. The main man of Sri Lanka, Nuwan Thushara, came in to bowl the 18th over.  He got rid of Rashid Khan immediately, showcasing his class and skills in death bowling.

This was the time when Mohammad Nabi ran out of proper batting partners. The next batter was Noor Ahmad, who is basically a tail-ender. Now, Mohammad Nabi had to lift the Afghanistan score on his own, and he had a strong plan for that.   

Mohammad Nabi Unleashing Big Sixes in the Final Over

Mohammad Nabi knew he had to take the game deep. He saw how Charith Asalanka used all his main bowlers, and he had to make some adjustments in the last over.

But, when Chameera came in to bowl the penultimate over, Mohammad Nabi broke free, knowing it was the time. He took down Chameera with three consecutive fours, showcasing his full intent to play aggressively. In that over, Nabi accumulated a total of 15 runs.

But the real problem began for Sri Lanka when Dunith Wellalage came into bowl the last over. He was under pressure, as Mohammad Nabi had announced his intentions in the last over. The first ball of the over went out of the boundary, as Nabi smoked Wellalage furiously. Then came the second ball, and it was also hit for six. The youngster came under pressure, but he didn’t have many options.

Wellalage attempted to bowl a yorker outside off, but it was again hit for six. This was the over Mohammad Nabi was waiting for. He took full advantage of the situation and smashed Wellalage on the first three balls.

The youngster was feeling the pressure, as he overstepped while delivering the next ball. This gave Nabi a free hit, and he went for six again. The over became from bad to worse, and Afghanistan started to march towards a strong total. Wellalage then tried to bowl back of a length delivery, and unfortunately, it again went for six. This means that the over saw five consecutive sixes, something we do not see regularly in any game.

Due to this ferocious hitting, the face of the scoreboard completely changed. Afghanistan now had a good total, thanks to Mohammad Nabi, who played a stunning knock. It will certainly remain one of his best innings that came under pressure, lifting Afghanistan from the shadows to a respectable position at the end.