The Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium witnessed an extraordinary batting masterclass as veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi unleashed a stunning barrage of hits in the death overs. His heroics revitalized Afghanistan’s hopes in their crucial Asia Cup Group B clash against Sri Lanka. The 40-year-old blazed his way to a magnificent 60 runs off just 22 balls, including an incredible five sixes in a single over, transforming Afghanistan’s precarious position into a competitive total of 169/8.
Nabi’s spectacular power-hitting arrived with a touch of poetic timing, almost precisely 18 years after Yuvraj Singh’s unforgettable six-sixes assault against Stuart Broad during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup.
Mohammad Nabi and Yuvraj Singh
Afghanistan’s innings appeared to be crumbling at 120/7 after 18 overs, especially after Nuwan Thushara’s devastating spell of 4/18 tore through their top order. However, Nabi, the long-standing heart of the Afghan side, dramatically shifted the momentum with an astonishing burst in the final two overs. He plundered an incredible 46 runs, with 32 of those coming off Dunith Wellalage’s very last over.
The highest partnership of the innings came from Nabi and skipper Rashid Khan (24), a crucial 35-run stand. Wellalage had a golden opportunity to dismiss Nabi in the deep but dropped a costly catch, setting the stage for Nabi’s onslaught. The over saw five perfectly timed sixes, with one also coming from a no-ball. Although Nabi was run out on the final ball, his sensational effort ensured Afghanistan had a formidable score to defend.
Earlier in the match, Afghanistan started positively, accumulating 26 runs in the first two overs. But Thushara quickly stifled their momentum in the powerplay, picking up key wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat, and Sediqullah Atal, leaving Afghanistan struggling at 45/3. Sri Lanka’s exceptional fielding, highlighted by a sharp relay catch from Kusal Perera and a breathtaking grab by Dushmantha Chameera, consistently kept Afghanistan under pressure.
Rashid Khan attempted a brief counter-attack, smashing two boundaries and a “no-look” six off Dasun Shanaka before also falling to Thushara. It was then that Nabi truly took charge, launching his aggressive counter-assault with three consecutive boundaries off Chameera, eventually reaching his fifty off a mere 20 balls — making it the joint-fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan.
Nabi’s brilliant knock of 60 places him among an elite group, as he became only the second player over 40 years old, after Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez, to score a T20I fifty against a full-member nation. Furthermore, Afghanistan’s total of 169/8 stands as the third-highest achieved by a full-member side in T20Is after losing six wickets for fewer than 80 runs.
For Sri Lanka, the 32 runs conceded by Dunith Wellalage in that single over marked their second-most expensive over in T20I history, only surpassed by Kieron Pollard’s 36-run assault off Akila Dananjaya in 2021.
Mohammad Nabi’s incredible and timely assault not only resurrected Afghanistan’s innings but also profoundly reignited their hopes of advancing to the Super Fours stage of the tournament.