Afghanistan Crush West Indies by 39 Runs in 2nd T20I: Mujeeb's Hat-Trick Seals Series Win.
Afghanistan Crush West Indies by 39 Runs in 2nd T20I: Mujeeb's Hat-Trick Seals Series Win.
Afghanistan clinched the T20I series against West Indies with a commanding 39-run victory in the 2nd T20I at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 21 January 2026.
Having posted 189/4 after being asked to bat first, Afghanistan's bowlers, spearheaded by Mujeeb Ur Rahman's maiden T20I hat-trick and figures of 4/21, dismantled the West Indies chase, bowling them out for 150 in 18.5 overs. The result gave Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, underlining their growing prowess in the shortest format just weeks before the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.
Afghanistan's Batting: Recovery and Momentum
West Indies won the toss and chose to field first on a surface that offered turn for the spinners as the innings progressed. Afghanistan's openers found early trouble, slipping to 37/2 inside the powerplay. Ibrahim Zadran (22 off 17) provided a brisk start with four boundaries before he was cleaned up by Matthew Forde's clever slower delivery.
The innings turned around through a crucial 115-run partnership for the third wicket between Sediqullah Atal (53 off 42 balls, 2 fours, 3 sixes) and Darwish Rasooli (68 off 39 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes). Atal anchored proceedings with calm strokeplay, finding the gaps and clearing the ropes when required, while Rasooli batted with real intent, targeting the shorter boundaries with powerful pulls and drives.
Their stand rebuilt the innings, dragging Afghanistan from a precarious position to a thoroughly competitive total. Rasooli, continuing his rich vein of form after a half-century in the series opener, accelerated through the middle overs, blending deft touches with big hits. Atal complemented him perfectly, rotating the strike and punishing anything loose.
Lower-order contributions from Azmatullah Omarzai and others pushed the score along to 189/4 in 20 overs. West Indies' bowlers, including Matthew Forde, picked up wickets at intervals but struggled to contain the middle-order surge. The total looked a stiff ask on a surface that slowed down considerably as the match wore on.
West Indies' Chase: Early Promise, Dramatic Collapse
Chasing 190 for victory, West Indies began cautiously but soon lost momentum, slipping to 38/3 inside eight overs as Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck twice in the powerplay — trapping Evin Lewis lbw and bowling Johnson Charles with a delivery that gripped and turned sharply off the surface.
A brief fightback followed from Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King, who put on 68 runs for the fourth wicket to move the total to 106 before Hetmyer fell. King went on to bring up a fighting half-century with calculated strokeplay, though the required rate continued to climb out of reach.
The game swung decisively when Mujeeb returned for his final spell. He produced a stunning hat-trick spread across two different overs, removing King (caught at long-on) before following up with back-to-back wickets to leave West Indies reeling. His variations — carrom balls, off-breaks and googlies — repeatedly deceived the batters, and he finished with figures of 4/21. In doing so, Mujeeb became only the third Afghan bowler, after Rashid Khan and Karim Janat, to claim a T20I hat-trick.
Support came from Fazalhaq Farooqi (2/28), Azmatullah Omarzai (2/20) and Rashid Khan (1/19), who kept the pressure on with tight lines throughout. West Indies lost wickets in clusters — Quentin Sampson, playing his T20I debut, was bowled by Mujeeb to complete his four-wicket haul, before a tail-end collapse saw them bundled out for 150 in 18.5 overs.
Key Moments and Performances
Player of the Match: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, for his match-turning 4/21, including the hat-trick that broke West Indies' resistance.
Darwish Rasooli's third successive T20I half-century highlighted his consistency, anchoring the innings while still accelerating when needed.
Sediqullah Atal's composed 53 provided much-needed stability during the rebuild.
The 115-run stand between Atal and Rasooli was the cornerstone of the innings, turning 37/2 into a defendable total.
Mujeeb's hat-trick — accounting for both a settled batter and a tail-ender — proved the decisive passage of play, underlining Afghanistan's growing spin dominance in UAE conditions. West Indies' middle order failed to capitalise on their brief fightback, with the regular fall of wickets exposing a familiar vulnerability against high-quality spin bowling.
This victory sealed the series for Afghanistan with a game to spare, giving their squad a timely confidence boost ahead of the T20 World Cup. Their spinners exploited the used Dubai surface expertly, while the batters showed real resilience under early pressure. West Indies, despite flashes of intent from King and Hetmyer, once again struggled for consistency in subcontinental conditions.
What Happened Next
Afghanistan's celebrations proved short-lived, however, as West Indies hit back in the third and final T20I two days later. Chasing a modest target, Afghanistan looked well placed thanks to Rahmanullah Gurbaz's fighting fifty, only for Shamar Springer to produce a hat-trick of his own in the penultimate over — removing Gurbaz, Rashid Khan and Shahidullah in successive deliveries to seal a 15-run win for the tourists.
That result meant Afghanistan ultimately took the series 2-1 rather than completing a clean sweep, though the outcome had already been decided by their win in Dubai. Remarkably, the series produced two separate hat-tricks from two different bowlers — a rare feat in T20 cricket — with Rasooli finishing as Player of the Series after amassing 156 runs across the three matches.
The 2nd T20I result stood as a statement of intent from Afghanistan: disciplined bowling, a clutch middle-order partnership, and a moment of individual brilliance from Mujeeb Ur Rahman that will live long in the memory as they head into their World Cup campaign. Afghanistan clinched the T20I series against West Indies with a commanding 39-run victory in the 2nd T20I at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on January 21, 2026.
Posting 189/4 after being put in to bat, Afghanistan's bowlers, spearheaded by Mujeeb Ur Rahman's maiden T20I hat-trick and 4/21, dismantled the West Indies chase, bowling them out for 150 in 18.5 overs. This result gave Afghanistan an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, showcasing their growing prowess in the format ahead of major tournaments.
Afghanistan's Batting: Recovery and Momentum
West Indies captain won the toss and opted to field first on a pitch that offered some grip for spinners later. Afghanistan's openers faced early trouble, losing quick wickets to slip to 37/2 in the powerplay. Ibrahim Zadran (22 off 17) provided a brisk start with four boundaries before being cleaned up by Matthew Forde's clever slower delivery.
The innings turned around through a crucial 115-run partnership for the third wicket between Sediqullah Atal (53 off 42 balls, 2 fours, 3 sixes) and Darwish Rasooli (68 off 39 balls, 5 fours, 3 sixes). Atal anchored with calm strokeplay, finding gaps and clearing the ropes when needed, while Rasooli unleashed aggressive intent, targeting the shorter boundaries with powerful pulls and drives.
Their stand rebuilt the innings, taking Afghanistan from a precarious position to a competitive total. Rasooli, continuing his rich vein of form after a fifty in the first game, accelerated in the middle overs, mixing deft touches with big hits. Atal complemented perfectly, rotating strike and punishing loose deliveries.
Lower-order contributions from Azmatullah Omarzai and others pushed the score to 189/4 in 20 overs. West Indies' bowlers, including Matthew Forde and others, picked up wickets but struggled to contain the middle-order surge. The total looked challenging on a surface that slowed down as the game progressed.
West Indies' Chase: Early Promise, Dramatic Collapse
Chasing 190, West Indies started cautiously but lost early momentum. They slumped to 38/3 in 8 overs, with Mujeeb Ur Rahman striking twice in the powerplay: trapping Evin Lewis lbw and bowling Johnson Charles with a ripping delivery that turned sharply.
A brief fightback came from Shimron Hetmyer and Brandon King (50), who added 68 runs for the fourth wicket, taking the score to 106 before Hetmyer fell. King played responsibly, reaching his fifty with calculated shots, but the required rate crept up.
The game swung decisively when Mujeeb returned for his final spell. He claimed a stunning hat-trick spread across overs: dismissing King (caught at long-on), then following up with back-to-back wickets to leave West Indies reeling. Mujeeb's variations—carrom balls, off-breaks, and googlies—baffled the batters, earning him 4/21 overall. He became only the third Afghan bowler (after Rashid Khan and Karim Janat) to take a T20I hat-trick.
Support came from Fazalhaq Farooqi (2/28), Azmatullah Omarzai (2/20), and Rashid Khan (1/19), who maintained pressure with tight lines. West Indies lost wickets in clusters: Quentin Sampson clean-bowled by Mujeeb to complete his four-wicket haul, followed by tail-end collapses. They were bundled out for 150 in 18.5 overs
Key Moments and Performances
Player of the Match: Mujeeb Ur Rahman for his match-turning 4/21, including a hat-trick that broke West Indies' backbone.
Darwish Rasooli's third successive T20I fifty highlighted his consistency and ability to anchor while accelerating.
Sediqullah Atal's composed 53 provided stability during the rebuild phase.
The 115-run stand between Atal and Rasooli was the innings' cornerstone, turning 37/2 into a defendable total.
Mujeeb's hat-trick—dismissing set batters and tail-enders—was the decisive blow, showcasing Afghanistan's spin dominance in UAE conditions.
West Indies' middle order failed to capitalize, with regular fall of wickets exposing their vulnerability against quality spin.
This victory sealed the series for Afghanistan (2-0), boosting morale ahead of the T20 World Cup. Their spinners exploited the Dubai pitch masterfully, while batters showed resilience. West Indies, despite flashes of intent, struggled with consistency in subcontinental-style conditions.
The match exemplified Afghanistan's rise: disciplined bowling, clutch batting partnerships, and individual brilliance from Mujeeb. It was a statement win, reinforcing their status as a formidable T20 side.
Achieved through detailed phase breakdowns, player analysis, strategic insights, partnership descriptions, wicket narrations, series context, pitch behavior, individual milestones like Mujeeb's hat-trick history, batting shot selection, bowling variations, fall-of-wicket sequences, momentum shifts, and broader implications for both teams' preparations and form.
Q1: Who won the 2nd T20I between Afghanistan and West Indies?
Afghanistan won the 2nd T20I by 39 runs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on 21 January 2026, taking a 2-0 series lead.
Q2: Who took a hat-trick in the Afghanistan vs West Indies T20I?
Mujeeb Ur Rahman took his maiden T20I hat-trick, dismissing Brandon King, and two further batters in successive deliveries during his final spell, finishing with figures of 4/21.
Q3: Is Mujeeb Ur Rahman the first Afghan bowler to take a T20I hat-trick?
No. He is the third Afghan bowler to achieve the feat, after Rashid Khan and Karim Janat.
Q4: Who were the top scorers for Afghanistan in this match?
Darwish Rasooli top-scored with 68 off 39 balls, while Sediqullah Atal made 53 off 42 balls. The pair added 115 runs for the third wicket.
Q5: Did Afghanistan win the full T20I series against West Indies?
Afghanistan won the series 2-1. Despite sealing the series with wins in the first two matches, West Indies won the third and final T20I by 15 runs, with Shamar Springer taking a hat-trick of his own.
Q6: Why was this series important for both teams?
Both sides used the series as final preparation ahead of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which began in February in India and Sri Lanka.
Comments
Post a Comment