West Indies Beat Afghanistan in the 3rd T20I by 15 runs

In the West Indies vs Afghanistan clash, Afghanistan chose to field first. West Indies failed to build momentum following a strong opening from captain Brandon King. King anchored the innings with 47 runs on 35 balls with three sixes, holding the innings together as wickets fell around him. Johnson Charles provided initial backing with 17, and the middle order could not take advantage of the platform.

Keacy Carty and Justin Greaves struggled to rotate the strike, and this gave spinners in Afghanistan an upper hand in maintaining control of the situation in the mid-overs. Rashid Khan made a decisive impact, dismissing King and Shimron Hetmyer while conceding just 13 runs in his four overs. A brief increase in tempo with a fast 13 off half a dozen balls by Hetmyer was momentary, but his dismissal halted West Indies’ momentum and stopped the pace of West Indies.

West Indies found momentum late through Matthew Forde, who smashed 27 off 11 balls, two fours, two sixes, which gave the innings some life. Shamar Springer also contributed something useful when he added valuable runs at the death with an unbeaten 16, and West Indies scored 151/7 at the close of 20 overs. Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling stood out, and Rashid Khan and Abdollah Ahmadzai had two wickets each.

Despite A Good Start Afghanistan Fell Short 

Chasing 152, Afghanistan began with a lot of confidence as Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran established a solid partnership at the start. They carried 72 first-wicket runs, which countered the attack of the West Indies' new ball and maintained a steady scoring rate during the powerplay.

Gurbaz played a defining knock and made 71 out of 58 balls. His shots were based more on patience and not force, continually creating spaces and holding the pursuit in check. Zadran made a consistent contribution of 28 and dropped shortly after drinks, which provided Afghanistan with a good foundation.

West Indies clawed back into the game through Shamar Springer, who produced an excellent spell, finishing with four wickets for 20 runs. His strikes removed key batters in quick succession, including Gurbaz, Rashid Khan, and Shahidullah, creating brief tension in the closing overs.

Afghanistan ended with 136/8 at the end of 20 overs. While Afghanistan fell short of the target, their overall performance across the match, especially their bowling dominance in the first innings, proved decisive in sealing the series.