Abu Dhabi, October 31 (PTI) Pacers Hamid Hassan and Naveen-ul-Haq shared six wickets between them in impressive bowling spells as Afghanistan crushed Namibia by 62 runs in their Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup here on Sunday.

Opting to bat, Afghanistan posted 160 for five thanks to handy contributions from Hazratullah Zazai (33), Mohammad Shahzad (45), Asghar Afghan (31) -- who was playing his last international match -- and Mohammad Nabi (32 not out).

With the ball, the Afghans restricted Namibia to 98 for nine for their second win in the tournament.

Chasing 161, Namibia lost three wickets inside the power play and could never recover from there. Naveen-ul-Haq (3/26) removed Craig Williams (1) and Michael van Lingen (11) early in a spell of 2/2 and then added another wicket later on.

Hamid Hassan (3/9 from 4 overs) tormented the Namibia middle-order as he got the wickets of captain Gerhard Erasmus (12), top-scorer David Wiese (26) and JJ Smit (0).

Namibia were 29 for three in 5.2 overs with Gulbadin Naib (2/19) chipping in with the wicket of Jan Loftie-Eaton (11).

Star spinner Rashid Khan (1/14 from 4 overs), who was introduced in the eighth over, got Zane Green out for 1 in his first delivery of the day as Namibia found themselves tottering.

Green missed the ball completely and he was cleaned up.

The asking rate was rising as Namibia needed 106 from the back end of their innings and having lost four wickets, their woes continued with captain Erasmus getting out in the 11th over as a yorker from Hassan crashed on to his leg stump.

Namibia were 56 for five and the match was as good as over by then but an unrelenting Hassan got his second wicket in the form of Smit three balls later.

Earlier, Afghan played a nice little cameo to score 31 off 23 balls in his farewell game, which helped Afghanistan post 160 for five.

Afghanistan made a strong start, reaching to 50 for no loss at the end of power play, with the opening pair of Zazai and Shahzad sharing a 53-run stand in 6.4 overs.

But Afghanistan fizzled out after that as wickets fell at regular intervals and there was no substantial partnership. They recovered a bit towards the end, scoring 51 from the last five overs, thanks to Afghan.

The 33-year-old right-handed batter, who was earlier known as Asghar Stanikzai, has played six Tests, 114 ODIs and 75 T20Is after making debut in 2009.

In his last game for the country, he provided good support to current captain Nabi (32 not out off 17 balls) and their quick-fire 35-run stand took the team's total past 150-run mark.

Zazai was the more aggressive of the opening duo. He began with a six and a four in the first over bowled by Ruben Trumpelmann and then added three more boundaries and another maximum in the power play.

But just as he was looking ominous, Zazai holed out to deep square leg fielder off Smit in the seventh over.

One-down Rahmanullah Gurbaz did not last long as he was out for 4 in the 10th over, trapped LBW off the bowling of Jan Loftie-Eaton.

The run-rate dropped as Afghanistan reached to 69 for two at the halfway mark.

Shahzad was out in the 13th over, top-edging Trumpelmann for Bernard Scholtz to take a simple catch. He hit three fours and two sixes during his 45-run knock.

Afghanistan took 13 runs from the 15th over with Afghan clobbering him for a six but they lost the momentum once again as Najibullah Zadran (7) was out at the other end.

Afghan was out in the penultimate over off Trumpelmann after hitting three fours and one six. Several Namibia players shook hands with Afghan while he walked off the ground.
 

We were hurt too much by Pakistan loss, that's why I decided to retire: Asghar Afghan

 A teary-eyed Asghar Afghan said his decision to retire in the middle of the ongoing T20 World Cup was triggered by the pain that he and his teammates endured after Afghanistan's heart-breaking loss to Pakistan in their previous match.

Afghanistan suffered a five-wicket loss in their Super 12 match against Pakistan in which Asif Ali smashed four sixes in the penultimate over, with the team requiring 24 off the last two overs, to end the contest .

Less than 24 hours after the match, former skipper Afghan, who holds the record of most T20I wins as captain, announced his decision to retire after the match against Namibia.

"In the last match, we were hurt too much, and that's why I decided to retire," Asghar, who has led Afghanistan in 115 matches, said wiping his tears during a chat after the end of the first innings.

"There are plenty of memories, it's difficult for me, but I have to retire."

The 33-year-old played six Tests, 114 ODIs and 75 T20Is, including the Namibia match, in a creditable career, scoring 4246 runs across formats.

"I want to give chance to youngsters. I think this is a good opportunity for that. Most people are asking me why now but it's something I cannot explain," said Afghan, who scored a 23-ball 31 on Sunday.

The ICC congratulated Asghar for a superb career that has seen him play a crucial role in his country's rise in international cricket.

The batter has been a part of all seven major ICC tournaments that Afghanistan have participated in.

ICC acting chief executive Geoff Allardice said: "Asghar has been a great ambassador of the game and played a huge part in Afghanistan's rise up the ranks in world cricket.

"He has played a pivotal role as batter and led his team astutely during his time as captain.

"On behalf of the ICC, I wish him all the best for the future and hope that he continues to be associated with the game in the years to come."

Asghar captained his country in their first-ever Test match against India in 2018 and at the T20 World Cup 2016.

Afghanistan will next play India on November 3 and New Zealand on November 7.

The team is playing at the ICC event at a time when the country itself is in turmoil following the Taliban takeover.

The future of Afghan cricketers is also uncertain due to the drastic changes in the political landscape. The Taliban have already barred women from playing the game.

Disclaimer: This story is auto-generated from news agency feeds and has not been edited by The Morung Express.

Source: PTI