T20 specialists display masterclass against young kids on the block 'Afghanistan'

Tuesday, 18 June 2024 - 11:22

T20+specialists+display+masterclass+against+young+kids+on+the+block+%27Afghanistan%27+
West Indies 218 for 5 (Pooran 98, Charles 43, Naib 2-14) beat Afghanistan 114 (Ibrahim 38, McCoy 3-14) by 104 runs

It's been a World Cup for the bowlers, but Nicholas Pooran set the tone early for a dominant batting display from West Indies as they thrashed Afghanistan to finish the group stage with a perfect record. He tore into Azmatullah Omarzai in the Powerplay, who leaked a world record 36 runs in an over.. And that was a blow Afghanistan never quite recovered from.

Pooran's 98 off just 53 balls helped West Indies to 218 for 5, which was 104 too many for Afghanistan in the last group match of the T20 World Cup 2024. The result had little bearing on the Super Eight seedings that were pre-decided with both teams already cementing their spots. Afghanistan were blown away in the chase to be dismissed for 114, with all the five bowlers the hosts used sharing the spoils.

It was the highest total for West Indies in men's T20 World Cups, and Pooran, who hit eight sixes in his stay, surpassed Chris Gayle to become the leading six-hitter for them in T20Is.

Several records were broken during the T20 World Cup 2024, Group C match between West Indies and Afghanistan on Tuesday. Asked to bat first, West Indies posted 218/5 in 20 overs with Nicholas Pooran playing a blistering knock of 98 off 53 balls. So far, this was the highest total in the ongoing T20 World Cup. However, the main highlight of the innings was Pooran's entry into elite list of batters, who smashed 36 runs in an over in a World Cup match.

The memorable feat achieved in the fourth over, when Pooran unleashed his fury on Afghanistan all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai.

In that over, the 28-year-old batter smashed three sixes and three boundaries. To make things worse, Omarzai ended bowling one no-ball, where Pooran again smashed a boundary. Later, he also leaked five runs from wide.

This was the second time in 2024 that 36 runs were scored in an over against Afghanistan. Earlier this year, the Indian duo of Rohit Sharma and Rinku Singh also achieved the same feat, when they thrashed Karim Janat.

Apart from this, the Caribbean side registered the record for the highest powerplay score in the history of the T20 World Cup. They scored 92 in the first six overs and surpassed the previous record of 91 runs set by the Netherlands against Ireland in 2014 in Bangladesh's Sylhet International Stadium.

England is ranked third in the list of powerplay scoring, having scored 89 runs against South Africa at Mumbai's iconic Wankhede Stadium in 2016.

Talking about the overall stats, this was the fourth highest powerplay score in the history of T20Is. The highest score was 102/0, registered by South Africa against West Indies in 2023.

Pooran also registered the highest individual score in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The 28-year-old batter scored 98 in 53 balls to help his team reach a dangerous 218-run total in the final group game before the Super Eight phase.

The wicketkeeper-batter broke the previous mark of 94 not out set by Aaron Jones of the United States versus Canada.


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