West Indies lose 2nd T20I by 39 runs as Afghanistan take 2-0 lead in 3-match series  

Afghanistan 189 for four (Rasooli 68, Sediqullah 53, Forde 2-25) beat West Indies 150 all out (King 50, Hetmyer 46, Mujeeb 4-21) by 39 runs 

The West Indies suffered a 39-run defeat to Afghanistan in the second T20I at the Dubai International Stadium in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The victory handed Afghanistan a winning 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The Caribbean side’s fielding display was marred by dropped catches as the top-order failed to spark once again.

The Afghanistan innings was almost a carbon copy of the first T20I. Despite losing opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz for one and Ibrahim Zadran for 22 in the powerplay, they kept their feet on the accelerator, scoring 54 from the first six.

There were multiple missed opportunities in the century stand that followed between Darwish Rasooli and Sediqullah Atal. Sediqullah was dropped on 11 and 45, while player of the match from the first contest, Rasooli (68), raced to a 26-ball fifty at the other end. His second of the series. The pair targeted a struggling Gudakesh Motie and the returning Ramon Simmonds (1/39). 

The 115-run third-wicket stand was finally broken after 71 balls when Windies’ best bowler on the night, Matthew Forde (2/25), had Sediqullah caught for 53. Sediqullah’s wicket fell in a period where the West Indies might have felt they were pulling things back, having restricted Afghanistan to 29 runs between overs 16 and 19. Motie (0/54) then gave up 19 in the 20th, with Afghanistan finishing on 189 for 4.

Needing to score at 9.5, the West Indies could only manage 5 runs from 12 deliveries to begin the chase, struggling against both seam and spin. The Caribbean side scraped their way out of the powerplay with 29 runs on the board for the wicket of Alick Athanaze, who was run out for 8. 

Scoring had not become easier when they lost Evin Lewis (13 from 17), adjudged lbw to the off-spin of Mujeeb Ur Rahman (4/21), and Johnson Charles, bowled, in consecutive deliveries to be restricted to 38 for 3 after seven.

Shimron Hetmyer joined Brandon King (50), and the pair momentarily put the pressure back on Afghanistan. Hetmyer smashed three of his six 6s from Noor Ahmad’s first over on his way to 46 from 17 balls. King, in the meantime, hit 35 from the last 15 balls of his innings after only managing 16 from the first 26.

Their 33-ball 68-run stand was ended when Farooqi dismissed Hetmyer with 84 runs still to get from 39. The West Indies lost their remaining 6 wickets for 44 runs to be dismissed for 150 in 18.5 overs.