Hashmatullah Shahidi and Rahmat Shah’s stellar performance guided Afghanistan to a convincing 7-wicket victory over the Netherlands as they successfully chased down a 180-run target.

Afghanistan secured their fourth tournament victory with skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi’s four runs off an Aryan Dutt delivery, helping them achieve a seven-wicket win against the Netherlands in Lucknow. Shahidi, unbeaten at 56, and Rahmat Shah (52), played pivotal roles in chasing down a modest 180-run target. Azmatullah Omarzai also contributed with 31 not out as Afghanistan reached 181 for 3 with 18.3 overs to spare.

Mohammad Nabi was named the Player of the Match for his 3 wickets for 28 runs. The Dutch team had to lament several run-outs, with four of their top five batsmen falling victim to them. Wicketkeeper Ikram Alikhil played a crucial part, being involved in three of those run-outs, as well as taking two catches and a stumping.

Earlier, the Netherlands faced a challenging inning as they were bowled out for a total of 179 runs in 46.3 overs after Netherlands captain Scott Edwards won the toss and chose to bat.

The Afghan bowler Mujeeb Ur Rahman made an early breakthrough by dismissing opener Wesley Barresi in the very first over, with Barresi managing just one run off four balls.

However, Max O’Dowd, alongside Colin Ackermann, aimed to stabilize the innings. O’Dowd appeared set for a half-century but was smartly dismissed when Afghan captain Mohammad Nabi took the bowling in the 12th over. Ackermann was run out in the 18th over, scoring 29 runs off 35 balls. Captain Edwards (0) lost his wicket in the very next delivery. The final wicket of the Dutch innings fell in the 47th over as Nabi trapped Paul van Meekeren (4) for an lbw. Nabi concluded the innings with a three-wicket haul, and Noor claimed two dismissals.

Last Updated on November 3, 2023

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