Afghanistan vs West Indies: 3rd T20I, Preview - An enthralling decider awaits for Pollard and Rashid's men

Afghanistan registered an impressive 41-run win in the second T20I.

Published - 17 Nov 2019, 11:21 IST | Updated - 17 Nov 2019, 11:21 IST

2 Min Read

Not many expected the T20I series to turn out very interesting, especially after the way West Indies tormented Afghanistan that easily in the ODI series. The second game of this series went the exact way people expected it go, but Rashid Khan and his men had a strong reply.

They did a decent job with the bat to get to a respectable total and ended up defending it in style, winning the game by an authoritative 41 runs. That set things up beautifully for the series decider, which will be played in less than 24 hours after Karim Janat’s outrageous spell of bowling.

West Indies have not been in the best of forms in this format, which is the reason why they looked up for a new captain. As it stands, it looks like things haven’t changed much even with Kieron Pollard at the helm. The senior man has one good chance of proving the board he can bring a change, but that can only happen if he wins this game.

Playing combinations

Afghanistan

Hazratullah Zazai is constantly getting the starts but is not building a castle out of the foundation. Afghanistan is heavily reliant on a few names in the middle order like Asghar Afghan, Najibullah Zadran and Mohammad Nabi to get the runs. Karim Janat bowled a spell of a lifetime a few hours prior and will be high on confidence. The spinning trio of Nabi, Mujeeb and skipper Rashid as always will be the core of their bowling attack.

Probable Playing XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Asghar Afghan, Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Rahmatullah Gurbaz (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (C), Karim Janat, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman

West Indies

Evin Lewis and Brandon King form a good pair together, but they haven’t shown any good results as yet. Shimron Hetmyer and Denesh Ramdin need some runs in the middle order as well. Kieron Pollard has been in sound nick ever since he became the captain with the bat and ball. Sheldon Cottrell and Kesrick Williams picked some crucial wickets in the last game and will continue being so.

Probable Playing XI: Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Shimron Hetmyer, Denesh Ramdin, Kieron Pollard (C), Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Holder, Kesrick Williams, Keemo Paul, Hayden Walsh, Sheldon Cottrell

Focus will be on

Hazratullah Zazai (Afghanistan)

This youngster possesses enough talent to perhaps destroy the bowling attack that’s in front of him, but Hazratullah Zazai somehow manages to blow up after a good start. He has had good starts in this series as well, but Zazai has been failing to convert them into something big. If he can at least provide a good start, the way he did in the second game, Afghans could get a head-start.

Kieron Pollard (West Indies)

Kieron Pollard is timing the ball as beautifully as he ever did. He struck some lusty blows in the first game and was unfortunate to not get going, but could turn up big with the willow in the decider. He produced a man of the match performance in the first match and the fans will be expecting another big rendition from the 32-year-old.