18 years later, Mohammad Nabi almost comes close to Yuvraj Singh's record

NEW DELHI: Veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi unleashed a stunning show of death-overs hitting to revive Afghanistan’s hopes successful their must-win Asia Cup Group B clash against Sri Lanka astatine the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium connected Thursday.

The 40-year-old blasted a whirlwind 60 disconnected conscionable 22 balls, smashing 5 towering sixes successful a azygous implicit to propel Afghanistan from a precarious presumption to a competitory full of 169/8.Nabi’s fireworks with the bat came astir poetically connected the eve of the day of Yuvraj Singh’s iconic six-sixes battle against Stuart Broad during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup.

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At 120/7 aft 18 overs, Afghanistan’s innings seemed headed for collapse, particularly aft Nuwan Thushara ripped done their apical bid with a fiery 4/18 spell.

But Nabi, the longest-serving subordinate of the Afghan side, turned the crippled connected its caput with an astonishing battle successful the past 2 overs — plundering 46 runs, including 32 disconnected the last implicit bowled by Dunith Wellalage.Nabi’s 35-run basal with skipper Rashid Khan (24) was the highest concern of the innings. Wellalage dropped Nabi erstwhile successful the heavy — a costly miss — earlier being astatine the receiving extremity of 5 cleanly struck sixes successful the last over, 1 coming disconnected a no-ball.

Nabi was tally retired connected the past ball, but not earlier ensuring Afghanistan had a full to defend.Earlier, Afghanistan started briskly with 26 runs successful the archetypal 2 overs, but Thushara’s incisive powerplay burst removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat and Sediqullah Atal to trim them to 45/3. The innings mislaid steam arsenic Sri Lanka’s fielding brilliance — a crisp relay drawback from Kusal Perera and a stunning drawback by Dushmantha Chameera — kept pegging Afghanistan back.Rashid concisely counter-attacked with 2 boundaries and a no-look six disconnected Dasun Shanaka earlier falling to Thushara. Nabi past launched his counter-assault, cracking 3 consecutive boundaries disconnected Chameera and yet raising his 50 disconnected conscionable 20 balls — the joint-fastest T20I 50 for Afghanistan.Nabi’s 60 made him lone the 2nd 40-plus subordinate aft Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez to people a T20I 50 against a full-member side.

Afghanistan’s 169/8 besides became the third-highest full by a full-member broadside aft losing six wickets for nether 80 successful T20Is.For Sri Lanka, the 32 runs conceded by Wellalage successful that implicit was their second-most costly successful T20I history, down the 36-run implicit smashed by Kieron Pollard disconnected Akila Dananjaya successful 2021.Nabi’s unthinkable battle has not conscionable revived Afghanistan’s innings — it has reignited their hopes of reaching the Super Fours.