Afghanistan and West Indies faced each other in the first game of the three-match T20I series at Atal Bihari Vajpayee International Cricket Stadium, Lucknow on Thursday (November 14).

Sent into bat first, West Indies posted 164/5 in 20 overs thanks to Evin Lewis’ 68 off 41 deliveries with 4 fours and 6 sixes. Skipper Kieron Pollard was also a notable contributor with the bat, scoring 32 not out from 22 balls.  

Gulbadin Naib was the stand-out bowler for Afghanistan, claiming 2 for 24 in his stipulated four overs.

Defending the total, Caribbean bowlers didn’t allow any substantial partnership to flourish. Kesrick Williams (3/17), Kieron Pollard (2/17) and Hayden Walsh (2/34) were the chief destroyers while Sheldon Cottrell (1/5) and Jason Holder (1/29) also chipped in with wicket apiece.

It was a disappointing batting performance from Afghanistan as Najibullah Zadran was the top scorer with 27 runs to his name.

Despite getting hit for some boundaries in the slog overs, West Indies eventually restricted Afghanistan to 134/9 in 20 overs, registering a convincing 30-run victory to take 1-0 lead in the series.

Brief Scores:

West Indies - 164/5 in 20 overs (Evin Lewis 68; Gulbadin Naib 2/24) defeated Afghanistan - 134/9 in 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 27; Kesrick Williams 3/17) by 30 runs.