Published: February 19, 2026 at 11:07 pm
Afghanistan rounded off their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup with a resounding 82-run win over Canada in Chennai on Thursday night. Though they had no chance of making it to the Super Eight, the Afghans were keen on have a win under their belt in the last group match.
“We were well-prepared, we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those [first two] games and see how the tournament unfolded. We’ll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward. Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series. We have great spinners, good batters at the top, but that’s where we need to improve. Thank you so much to everyone who came to support us, it gave us the feeling of being back home. We have got so much love and support,” said Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan.
Chasing, Canada got off to a lively start as previous game’s centurion Yuvraj Samra drove the very first ball from Mujeeb Ur Rahman for four. Skipper Dilpreet Bajwa followed with positive intent, striking a couple of beautifully timed maximums to keep the early momentum going. But just as he looked to get going, Bajwa tried to make room against Mujeeb and was bowled, bringing Navneet Dhaliwal in at No.3.
The Canadian stalwart endured a brief stay in what was his final international innings, chipping one straight to backward point to depart for a five-ball duck. Veteran spinner Mohammad Nabi was then introduced and made an immediate impact, removing Samra for 17. He struck again in the eighth over when Nicholas Kirton mistimed an effort, safely pouched by first-innings hero Zadran.
Wickets continued to tumble as the fifth fell quickly and saw Ziaur produce a fine catch in the deep to dismiss Shreyas Movva. Harsh Thaker briefly counterattacked with flair, collecting a four and six off Ziaur immediately, and alongside Saad built a steady 53-run partnership to rebuild the chase.
The stand was eventually broken by Nabi, who returned to end Thaker’s resistance at 30. Saad soon followed, undone by a beauty from Rashid, before Nabi capped off his spell with his fourth wicket by removing Heyliger with the first ball of his final over. Canada were at 105/8 on 18.1 overs.
The remaining 11 deliveries did not see much action as Afghanistan won by 82 runs.
Put into bat, Afghanistan’s opening pair once again started well, putting on 47 runs. However, star batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for 30, and Afghanistan slipped to 49/2 in powerplay.
Ibrahim Zadran led the Afghanistan rebuild with a gritty half-century, his second successive fifty at the World Cup. His 95-run partnership with Sediqullah Atal (44) gave Afghanistan the perfect platform to launch the final few overs. Carrying the bat through, Zadran scored his personal best knock of 95 off 56, which is also the highest score by an Afghan player in this edition of the World Cup. In a well-paced innings, he struck seven fours and five sixes.
“I enjoyed it, didn’t play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it’s there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it. Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done. Want to dedicate this to coach Jonathan [Trott], he has supported me, he has encouraged us all a lot. We have achieved things in ICC events. It’s his last day with us, he taught me lots of things. I wish him all the best, we will all miss him a lot,” Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match, said.
For Canada, Jaskarandeep Singh was the most successful bowler and ended with 3/52 in four overs.
“We started well, we had a problem finishing with the ball. That’s something we need to improve. They bowled well, the spinners they have it was challenging. We lost early wickets and it was hard for us. Good tournament, Samra and Ansh Patel showed the talent we have. As a unit we didn’t do well, but this was a good opportunity, and we look forward to do well in future. Chennai always comes out to support, it was good, the players enjoyed it,” said Canada captain Dilpreet Bajwa
Brief scores: Afghanistan 200 for four in 20 overs (Rahanullah Gurbaz 30, Ibrahim Zadran 95, Sediqullah Atal 44; Jaskaran Singh 3/52) beat Canada 118 for eight in 20 overs (Harsh Thaker 30, Saad Bin Zafar 28; Mohammad Nabi 4/7, Rashid Khan 2/19).
