Former India cricketer Wasim Jaffer has lauded veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi for his whirlwind innings in opposition to Sri Lanka on September 5, within the Asia Cup 2023. Nabi hit the quickest ODI fifty for Afghanistan whereas chasing 292 runs in opposition to the co-hosts. The valiant effort went in useless because the aspect made a large blunder of their NRR calculations and finally misplaced by 2 runs.
Asia Cup 2023, AFG vs SL: Match Report
Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Wasim Jaffer lauded the batter’s efforts and stated that Nabi had solutions to every little thing.
“Nabi had answers to everything Sri Lanka threw at him, be it pace or spin. Then he was clearing the boundaries and showed his experience. You kind of want your senior players to stand up on these kind of ocassions. Had he batted for another four or five overs, they would have won,” stated Wasim Jaffer.
Afghanistan practically toppled Sri Lanka’s title protection within the Asia Cup in a nail-biting chase. The daunting activity of chasing 292 runs inside 37.1 overs (or 295 inside 37.5 overs) was virtually achieved by Afghanistan, largely attributable to a unprecedented efficiency by veteran participant Mohammad Nabi. However, Afghanistan fell agonisingly quick, scoring 289 runs and being bowled out in simply 37.4 overs, lacking the goal by a mere 3 runs.
This thrilling Asia Cup encounter noticed Afghanistan’s batters show their prowess, coming near attaining what appeared like an unattainable chase. Mohammad Nabi, who scored Afghanistan’s quickest ODI fifty, ended his innings with a exceptional 65 runs off simply 32 balls. His aggressive batting, which included 5 sixes and 6 boundaries, swung the momentum in Afghanistan’s favor after that they had suffered early losses.
Despite the potential to qualify in the event that they reached 295 runs inside 37.5 overs, Afghanistan missed this chance when Dhananjaya de Silva claimed the ultimate wicket, dismissing Fazalhaq Farooqi for a duck. It appeared that Afghanistan was not conscious that they had been nonetheless in rivalry throughout the essential last over, as there was no try and take a single run and produce Rashid again on strike.
Former Sri Lanka cricketer Farveez Mahroof additionally lauded Nabi in the identical panel and stated that there was no substitute to expertise.
“This goes to show that experience cannot be valued. It is an invaluable, some of the strokes that he played through cover and extra cover, I mean gone are the days when you want to hit a six where you target cow corner or long on. Nowadays, with the pitches being so true, hitting over extra cover looks so easy,” stated Farveez Mahroof.
This match served as a testomony to Afghanistan’s potential as a formidable contender within the upcoming World Cup.
Edited By:
Kingshuk Kusari
Published On:
Sep 6, 2023
