Zadran helps Afghans give Trott a winning farewell

CHENNAI: A Super-8 entry was the minimum that Afghanistan would have hoped for as they planned to give coach Jonathan Trott a fitting farewell. It didn’t happen that way with the Afghans going home after the group stage.

But on Thursday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, they ensured that their long-time English coach finished his Afghan assignment with a victory. Opener Ibrahim Zadran (95*, 56 balls; 7x4, 5x6) put his skillful hitting on full display as he smashed a stellar knock, his second successive half-century, to power his team to an 82-run win over Canada.




Zadran’s innings — measured at the start and menacing at the finish — combined with his crucial 95-run stand for the third wicket with Sediqullah Atal (44, 32balls; 2x4, 2x6) took Afghanistan to an imposing 200-4, after being put to bat.

The score proved more than sufficient as Canada struggled against Afghanistan’s formidable spin attack. Veteran spinner Mohammad Nabi, who probably is playing his last WC, accentuated Canada’s fall with a four-wicket haul (4-7) on a surface that aided the tweakers.

Rashid Khan (2-19) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (1-23) applied the choke through the middle overs and sealed a comprehensive victory.

Earlier, Afghanistan lost opening enforcer Rahmanullah Gurbaz (30) and Gulbadin Naib in quick succession in the final over of the powerplay. Pacer Jaskarandeep Singh (3-52) struck twice in four balls, first having Gurbaz caught at deep backward point after the batter smashed back-to-back boundaries, then trapping Naib LBW. Afghanistan reached 49-2 at the end of the powerplay.

Threading it all together from the other end, Zadran eloquently anchored the innings with temperament and timing. He began brightly, striking Dillon Heyliger for back-to-back boundaries in the fourth over, but when wickets fell, he smartly shifted gears and prioritised timing over power. Using his wrists effectively, he found the gaps with ease, often hitting boundaries with an almost straight bat to anything that was full and on the stumps.

The opener, who was handed a lifeline on 54, was the main character for the big finish too. Jaskarandeep, pick of the Canadian bowlers, was punished by him with consecutive eye-pleasing boundaries off the final two balls of the last over. Afghanistan plundered 69 runs in the last five overs for just two wickets.

Having endured a lean start to the tournament — scores of 10 Vs New Zealand and 12 Vs South Africa — Afghanistan would have hoped for this knock to arrive sooner. It however, helped the last edition’s semifinalist sign off on a high.

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