The West Indies senior men suffered a similar fate as their youth side, falling to Afghanistan by 38 runs in the first of three T20 Internationals on January 19, in a match played in the United Arab Emirates. Just a day earlier, Afghanistan Under-19 had defeated the Windies Under-19 team in the ICC Under-19 Men’s World Cup. The senior series serves as preparation for their own global tournament, with the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 scheduled for February.
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bat in a fixture that saw exciting prospect Quentin Sampson wear the Maroon for the first time. The dangerous Rahmanullah Gurbaz was run out by Gudakesh Motie on the very first ball of the innings. The Afghan side rebuilt through a mammoth third-wicket partnership between Ibrahim Zadran and Darwish Rasooli worth 162 runs from 106 balls, the highest ever third-wicket stand in T20 internationals for Afghanistan. Zadran finished with 87, while Rasooli scored 84. Several dropped catches by the West Indies allowed Afghanistan to reach a total of 181-3 after their 20 overs.
The Windies struggled to settle into their innings, with Johnson Charles producing a stop-start performance that was the only double-figure score among the top five batsmen. The Saint Lucian veteran produced 27 runs from 16 balls, including three fours and two of the team’s seven sixes.
Debutant Sampson impressed with a solid 30 off 24 deliveries, as he and Matthew Forde, who made 25, attempted a counterattack. When Sampson lost his wicket, the West Indies were further supported by 28 runs from 15 balls by fellow Guyanese Gudakesh Motie. However, Afghanistan made light work of the remaining batsmen, bowling the Caribbean side out for 143.
Head coach Daren Sammy’s men will need to deliver a stronger performance as they prepare for the second game of the series, scheduled for January 21. The West Indies remain winless in the UAE.
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