The six Afghan players taking part in the Hero CPL this season are Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Najibullah Zadran and Zahir Khan, all of whom were due to take part in the Shpageeza Cricket League, their domestic T20 competition.
However, following discussions between the CWI President Ricky Skerritt and the ACB Chairman Farhan Yusefzai, an agreement was reached to allow the players to stay on until CPL has finished.
“We understand the importance of the Shpageeza Cricket League to the ACB and the reasons why it had to be scheduled during the CPL after the NOCs were all issued. We truly appreciate the Chairman of the ACB allowing these six Afghan players to stay at the Hero CPL until its conclusion,” said Pete Russell, Hero CPL’s COO.
“Afghan players have had a huge impact on our competition, both this season and in previous years, and we are very grateful to have them with us until the final on September 10.
“I would also like to put on record our thanks to CWI’s President and CEO for taking the time to resolve this situation, which has shone a light on the issues leagues such as CPL face with the current NOC policy and system.”Mo
Afghanistan entered the final game of the Super 8s requiring a victory to join England, India and South Africa in the last four, while Bangladesh themselves could still qualify via net run-rate with a handsome win.
Both Bangladesh and Australia might have been positive regarding their prospects when Afghanistan reached just 115 in their innings.
Even Rahmanullah Gurbaz's 43 came off 55 balls as they made slow progress, before the opener handed Soumya Sarkar a simple catch off a 17th-over delivery from Rishad Hossain, who impressed with figures of 3-26.
It was the Bangladesh innings that brought the drama, though.
Repeated rain stoppages meant they were left chasing a series of revised targets, and the losses of Najmul Hossain Shanto (5) and Shakib Al Hasan on back-to-back third-over balls, the latter for a golden duck, made their chances of qualification unlikely.
However, they could still send Australia through with any victory, and opener Litton Das did his best to do so, making an unbeaten 54 as wickets tumbled around him.
With Bangladesh nine runs from victory but with just one wicket remaining in the 18th over, it was Naveen-ul-Haq who sealed Afghanistan's place in the last four.
He joined captain Rashid Khan on four dismissals by trapping Mustafizur Rahman lbw, ensuring Afghanistan will face South Africa in a historic semi-final in Trinidad on Thursday.
Data Debrief: Farooqi earns a slice of history
While Afghanistan captain Khan (4-23) and Naveen (4-26) hogged the headlines on a historic day for the team, team-mate Fazalhaq Farooqi also had an outing to remember. He trapped Tanzid Hasan lbw for the first wicket of the Bangladesh innings, his 16th wicket at this year's tournament.
That drew him level with Sri Lanka's PW Hasaranga (in 2022) for the most wickets in a single edition of the T20 World Cup, and he will look to take the record outright against South Africa later this week.
Charles made a 21-ball 40 opening the batting including four fours and two sixes while skipper Powell, batting at five, hit 35 off just 15 balls including one four and four sixes to help the Bulls post an intimidating 126-6 off their 10 overs after being put in to bat.
Englishman James Vince also showed good form with 37 off 14 balls. Obed McCoy and Junaid Siddique had identical figures of 2-18 from two overs.
Chennai’s chase then came up significantly short, being bowled out for just 61 in 8.5 overs.
Only Mohammad Nabi was able to crack double figures with 25 as Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-8 from two overs), Muhammad Rohid (2-14 from two overs), Naveen-ul-Haq (2-22 from two overs) and Ravi Bopara (2-4 from five balls) combined to produce an excellent display of bowling.
In large part, that failure, scoring 60 off the last four overs, was down to the bowling of Naveen-ul-Haq, who bowled the penultimate over to Russell.
At the start of the 19th over, the Tallawahs were 87-7, needing a further 32 runs from the 12 deliveries to come.
The first delivery of Naveen’s over was muscled over deep midwicket for Russell’s fourth six of the innings. The second delivery from Naveen was full outside off stump and a thick outside edge saw it rush to the third man boundary. Russell had taken 10 runs off the first two deliveries, having already taken 17 from Imran Tahir the over before that and 11 from Keemo Paul’s 17th over.
But Naveen, apparently, is made of sterner stuff and produced four dot balls to leave the Tallawahs with 22 to get from six and Russell at the non-striker’s end.
“It was difficult to bat on that pitch. The first ball I saw was sticking and turning a lot, so I knew that if we put up 120 or thereabouts, it’s gonna be a tough chase for them,” said Naveen of the 118-run total the Warriors had just defended, the lowest in CPL history.
Speaking with CPL’s Alex Jordan, Naveen went on to explain that he was fearful of bowling that 19th over to a man known to be among the most destructive batsmen in the world.
Naveen would end with figures of 1-22 from his four overs.
“He is quite an explosive player and everybody knows this. I am cherishing this moment. It was quite lucky that I got that over. I was happy to come at the main stage and do well for my team. I got the chance and I did well,” he said.
India started their Super 8s campaign in style in Barbados, with Suryakumar's 28-ball 53 propelling them to 181-8 from their 20 overs.
Virat Kohli added 24, with Hardik Pandya contributing a useful 30 too, though Fazalhaq Farooqi, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, finished with impressive figures of 3-33.
Yet Farooqi was outshone by Bumrah, who was the star of India's bowling attack.
Bumrah took 3-7 as he skittled through Afghanistan's top order, reducing them to 23-3 inside five overs.
Arshdeep Singh (3-36) rounded matters off, sending Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq and Noor Ahmad packing to bowl Afghanistan all out for 134.
The victory sent India to the top of Group One, ahead of Australia's clash with Bangladesh.
Data Debrief: More history for Kohli
Kohli might have taken a backseat in this win, but his haul of 24 saw him move onto 4,066 runs in T20Is.
That makes Kohli India's record run scorer in the format, with the 35-year-old having surpassed Rohit Sharma (4,050).
After a Powerplay charge, the Amazon Warriors lost 10/62 as Mujeeb-ur-Rahman and Sandeep Lamichhane ran riot. But last year’s finalists roared back with the ball to take bursts of 3/4 and 4/25, leaving the Tallawahs needing 60 from the last 4 overs, from which position even Russell at his most devastating wasn’t enough.
After Tallawahs captain Rovman Powell elected to bowl, Fidel Edwards generated significant swing, but Oshane Thomas was wayward and Brandon King punished him mercilessly. The fact that one of his Hero Maximums was off a no-ball because too many fielders were behind square on the leg-side added insult to injury. Thomas was not seen again with the ball.
Chandrapaul Hemraj was quick to pounce on anything short from either Mujeeb or Russell, and with King continuing to time the ball sweetly, the Amazon Warriors raced to 56/0. All seemed to be going swimmingly.
But Mujeeb sparked a remarkable turnaround. First, a ball skidded past King’s sweep, then next ball the in-form Shimron Hetmyer was done by a quicker off-spinner. When Hemraj steered the first ball after the Powerplay to the fielder at point, the Amazon Warriors had slumped from 56/0 to 57/3 inside four balls.
That became 67/4 when Nicholas Pooran tried to cut Mujeeb and edged behind. Sensing an opportunity Powell went on the attack, introducing Lamichhane and keeping a slip in. So panicked were the Amazon Warriors that Sherfane Rutherford came out with two left gloves.
Lamichhane did not disappoint. His first over was tight, and in his second his googly spun big to leave Rutherford only able to give Mujeeb a second catch at point. Ross Taylor found himself fighting a lone hand, and the Amazon Warriors found themselves in a hole at 85/5 after 12 overs.
That hole got deeper still. Keemo Paul skied to Phillips trying to pull Carlos Brathwaite’s third ball, Amazon Warriors skipper Chris Green lost his leg-stump to Lamichhane, and eventually, Taylor clipped Brathwaite straight to deep midwicket to leave the Amazon Warriors 99/8 after 16 overs.
Naveen-ul-Haq showed a deft touch, but debutant Ashmead Nedd couldn’t stay with him as he was farcically run out. Naveen tried to hit out but gave mid-off a simple catch to give Brathwaite a third wicket and put the final nail in the coffin - or so it seemed.
At the start of the chase, Green sparked panic with a pair of LBWs, removing Chadwick Walton with the first ball of the innings and ending Nkrumah Bonner’s first Hero CPL game since 2016 shortly after, courtesy of a bad decision from the usually reliable Brathwaite. Imran Tahir got a rare outing in the Powerplay and threatened immediately with a maiden.
Nedd’s debut may not have gone well with the bat, but the first ball of his T20 career removed Glenn Phillips. Asif Ali joined captain Powell in the fourth over with the score 4/3, and though he was beaten with his first two balls he got off the mark with a commanding cut shot.
The Amazon Warriors bowled, fielded and appealed as though angered by their own batting, and the intensity didn’t let up after the Powerplay. Naveen let rip some whole-hearted LBW appeals, Nedd got bounce and sharp turn, and Paul hit Powell on the helmet with his first ball.
While Asif was dropped at long leg by Nedd, he would not get a second life. Hetmyer held his nerve at long-on and sent the Tallawahs to the drinks break reeling. Naveen kept the pressure on, and Nedd was unplayable at times. At 41/4 after 12, the Tallawahs had to confront the possibility of losing an unlosable game, and that became even more real when Brathwaite was bowled by Paul.
Nedd finished a remarkable debut with four dot balls to Russell, and the Tallawahs now needed 69 from the last six overs before Powell clubbed Naveen down Green’s throat to leave Russell still to get off the mark and batting with the tail.
Russell finally hit his first Hero Maximum of the tournament off Imran Tahir, who returned to trap Lamichhane LBW for a duck. When Russell took the 17th over for 11 runs, the 18th for 17, and the first two balls of the 19th for 10, it looked like he was going to win yet another game single-handedly.
But Naveen responded with four dot balls in a row, and crucially kept Russell off strike for the last over.
Paul’s execution was perfect, and though Russell battered a Hero Maximum onto the roof to bring up 50 it was too late. Both sides will be wondering what happened after 39.1 overs that defied logic.
