NEW DELHI: Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi unleashed a stunning display of death-overs hitting to revive Afghanistan’s hopes in their must-win Asia Cup Group B clash against Sri Lanka at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday. The 40-year-old blasted a whirlwind 60 off just 22 balls, smashing five towering sixes in a single over to propel Afghanistan from a precarious position to a competitive total of 169/8.Nabi’s fireworks with the bat came almost poetically on the eve of the anniversary of Yuvraj Singh’s iconic six-sixes assault against Stuart Broad during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup.At 120/7 after 18 overs, Afghanistan’s innings seemed headed for collapse, especially after Nuwan Thushara ripped through their top order with a fiery 4/18 spell. But Nabi, the longest-serving member of the Afghan side, turned the game on its head with an astonishing assault in the last two overs — plundering 46 runs, including 32 off the final over bowled by Dunith Wellalage.Nabi’s 35-run stand with skipper Rashid Khan (24) was the highest partnership of the innings. Wellalage dropped Nabi once in the deep — a costly miss — before being at the receiving end of five cleanly struck sixes in the final over, one coming off a no-ball. Nabi was run out on the last ball, but not before ensuring Afghanistan had a total to defend.Earlier, Afghanistan started briskly with 26 runs in the first two overs, but Thushara’s incisive powerplay burst removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat and Sediqullah Atal to reduce them to 45/3. The innings lost steam as Sri Lanka’s fielding brilliance — a sharp relay catch from Kusal Perera and a stunning grab by Dushmantha Chameera — kept pegging Afghanistan back.Rashid briefly counter-attacked with two boundaries and a no-look six off Dasun Shanaka before falling to Thushara. Nabi then launched his counter-assault, cracking three consecutive boundaries off Chameera and eventually raising his fifty off just 20 balls — the joint-fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan.Nabi’s 60 made him only the second 40-plus player after Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez to score a T20I fifty against a full-member side. Afghanistan’s 169/8 also became the third-highest total by a full-member side after losing six wickets for under 80 in T20Is.For Sri Lanka, the 32 runs conceded by Wellalage in that over was their second-most expensive in T20I history, behind the 36-run over smashed by Kieron Pollard off Akila Dananjaya in 2021.Nabi’s incredible assault has not just revived Afghanistan’s innings — it has reignited their hopes of reaching the Super Fours.
