DUBAI: Stockily built Mohammad Shahzad knocked a brilliant hundred as spirited Afghanistan pulled off a last over tie against India in a Super Four match on Tuesday.
Shahzad’s 124 laid the foundation of Afghanistan’s fighting total of 252-8 in 50 overs before they bowled out India in 49.5 overs for the same total.
Needing seven to win off the final Rashid Khan over, Ravindra Jadeja hit a boundary off the second ball before taking a single off the next. Last man Khaleel Ahmed then took a single, but Jadeja holed out off the fifth to give Afghanistan a morale-boosting tie with the defending champions.
India rested five top players — skipper Rohit Sharma, Shikhar Dhawan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar — as they had already qualified for Friday’s final.
The winner of Wednesday’s match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will meet India in the final in Dubai. India were helped to 110 by openers Lokendra Rahul (60) and Ambati Rayudu (57) and at 166-3 they looked on course for an easy win, but Afghanistan pulled back through key wickets.
Rahul hit five boundaries and a six in his 66-ball knock while Rayudu’s 49-ball innings had four sixes and as many boundaries.
Dinesh Karthik made 44 and Jadeja scored 25 to bring India closer, but they could not cross the finish line.
Spinners Rashid and Mohammad Nabi, and paceman Aftab Alam finished with two wickets apiece.
Despite crashing out with two defeats, Afghanistan can hold their heads high as they beat Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in the first round and lost to Pakistan only in the final over.
In Afghanistan’s innings, Shahzad knocked a fighting hundred and Mohammad Nabi scored 56-ball 64 to lift Afghanistan after they won the toss.
The 31-year-old smashed seven sixes and 11 fours in his 116-ball 124 — his fifth one-day century but first against a top nation.
So dominant was Shahzad that fellow opener Javed Ahmadi was only five in a stand of 65, before India struck four times within the space of 17 runs.
Scoreboard
INDIA:
K. Rahul lbw b Rashid 60
A. Rayudu c Zadran b Nabi 57
D. Karthik lbw b Nabi 44
M. Dhoni lbw b Ahmadi 8
M. Pandey c Shahzad b Alam 8
K. Jadhav run out 19
R. Jadeja c Zadran b Rashid 25
D. Chahar b Alam 12
K. Yadav run out 9
S. Kaul run out 0
Khaleel Ahmed not out 1
EXTRAS: (lb 5, nb 1, w 3) 9
TOTAL: (all out; 50 overs) 252
FALL OF WICKETS: 1-110, 2-127, 3-142, 4-166, 5-204, 6-205, 7-226, 8-242, 9-245
BOWLING: Alam 10-0-53-2 (1nb), Mujeeb 10-1-43-0 (1w), Naib 4-0-41-0, Nabi 10-0-40-2 (1w), Rashid 10-0-41-2 (1w), Ahmadi 4-0-19-1, Shah 2-0-10-0
RESULT: Match tied
TOSS: Afghanistan
UMPIRES: Gregory Brathwaite (WI) and Anisur Rahman (BAN)
TV UMPIRE: Rod Tucker (AUS)
MATCH REFEREE: Andy Pycroft (ZIM)
Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2018
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