In a dominant display, the West Indies cricket team crushed Afghanistan by 104 runs in their final group-stage match of the T20 World Cup at the Daren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia. Both teams had already secured their spots in the Super Eights phase of the tournament before this match.
Nicholas Pooran played a spectacular innings, scoring 98 runs off just 53 balls. His innings included 6 fours and 8 sixes, propelling the West Indies to a formidable total of 218-5 after being asked to bat first. Pooran's knock also took him past the milestone of 2,000 T20I runs. He was well-supported by Johnson Charles, who contributed 43 runs off 27 balls.
The West Indies' innings got off to a blazing start, reaching 92-1 by the end of the Powerplay overs, which was the highest total ever in the Powerplay overs of a T20 World Cup match. Afghanistan's bowling, particularly Azmatullah Omarzai's expensive over where he conceded 36 runs, contributed significantly to the West Indies' rapid run-scoring.
In response, Afghanistan faltered early, losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the first over and never recovered. They were eventually bowled out for 114 runs in 16.2 overs. Obed McCoy was the standout bowler for the West Indies in his first match of the tournament, finishing with impressive figures of 3-14.
Reflecting on the match, Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan acknowledged the difficulty of conceding more than 90 runs in the Powerplay, stating that it was challenging to recover from such a start. He also highlighted the importance of learning from this experience for future matches.
West Indies captain Rovman Powell expressed satisfaction with his team's performance, emphasising that their winning streak, which now extends to eight matches, reflects the hard work and improvement the team has undergone over the past year. Powell noted that the conditions in St Lucia suited their batting style, and he credited the team's excitement and preparation for delivering such a strong performance.
The victory for the West Indies sets them up well as they advance to the Super Eights stage of the T20 World Cup, maintaining their momentum and confidence heading into the next phase of the competition.