Afghanistan make flying start against West Indies in T20 World Cup warm-up

BENGALURU: Afghanistan began their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup warm-up match against West Indies with a blistering powerplay on Wednesday, reaching 62 without loss in six overs at the BCCI Centre of Excellence Ground.

Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran set the tone, with Gurbaz unleashing an aggressive 36 off just 22 balls, smashing boundaries and keeping the scoreboard ticking. Zadran, after a cautious start, quickly joined the assault, clearing the ropes with a six and a four in the sixth over off Jason Holder.

Chasing to build momentum ahead of the Super 12 stage, Afghanistan capitalized on West Indies captain Shai Hope’s decision to field first. Their spin-heavy attack, led by Rashid Khan and supported by Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad, has been a key weapon in past games, but the focus today is on getting their batters acclimatized to the Bengaluru conditions.

This comes after Afghanistan’s commanding 61-run win over Scotland, where Darwish Rasooli had starred with 84 off 46 balls. With Gurbaz and Zadran firing early, the team looks poised to post another competitive total.

West Indies, led by Shai Hope and featuring power hitters like Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell, will be looking to make breakthroughs in the middle overs to stem Afghanistan’s momentum. The warm-up match serves as a crucial opportunity for both sides to fine-tune combinations and test strategies before the Super 12 matches begin on February 7.

At the six-over mark, Afghanistan’s innings is firmly under control, and the early dominance by Gurbaz and Zadran has put West Indies on the back foot in this high-scoring warm-up clash.