In a breathtaking display of power-hitting that captivated cricket fans worldwide, veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi nearly rewrote history during Afghanistan’s crucial Asia Cup clash against Sri Lanka. With an astonishing barrage of five sixes in a single over, Nabi’s explosive performance propelled his team from a dire situation to a competitive total, drawing immediate comparisons to Yuvraj Singh’s legendary six-sixes feat.
The 40-year-old maestro unleashed a whirlwind 60 runs off just 22 balls at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium on Thursday. His remarkable innings, particularly the five towering sixes he smashed in one over, came almost poetically on the eve of the anniversary of Yuvraj Singh’s iconic assault against Stuart Broad during the 2007 ICC T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan’s innings had been teetering on the brink of collapse, having stumbled to a precarious 120/7 after 18 overs. Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Thushara had earlier ripped through the top order with a fiery spell, claiming 4 wickets for just 18 runs. However, Nabi, the seasoned backbone of the Afghan side, single-handedly turned the tide. He launched an astonishing counter-assault in the final two overs, plundering 46 runs, including a massive 32 off the penultimate over bowled by Dunith Wellalage.
Nabi’s crucial 35-run partnership with captain Rashid Khan (24 runs) proved to be the highest of the innings. Despite being dropped once in the deep by Wellalage – a miss that proved incredibly costly – Nabi continued his relentless attack. He rained down five cleanly struck sixes in Wellalage’s over, with one coming off a no-ball. Though he was eventually run out on the last ball, Nabi’s heroics ensured Afghanistan set a challenging target of 169/8.
Earlier in the match, Afghanistan had started brightly, scoring 26 runs in the first two overs. But Thushara’s incisive powerplay burst quickly halted their momentum, dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Karim Janat, and Sediqullah Atal, reducing them to 45/3. Sri Lanka’s superb fielding, including a sharp relay catch from Kusal Perera and a stunning grab by Dushmantha Chameera, consistently kept the pressure on Afghanistan throughout their innings.
Before Nabi’s epic stand, Rashid Khan briefly tried to counter-attack, hitting two boundaries and a “no-look” six off Dasun Shanaka before succumbing to Thushara. Then, the stage was set for Nabi’s remarkable fifty, which he achieved off just 20 balls – marking it as the joint-fastest T20I fifty for Afghanistan.
His impressive 60 runs also made him only the second player over the age of 40, after Chris Gayle and Mohammad Hafeez, to score a T20I fifty against a full-member side. Furthermore, Afghanistan’s total of 169/8 became the third-highest achieved by a full-member nation after losing six wickets for under 80 runs in T20 Internationals.
For Sri Lanka, the 32 runs conceded by Dunith Wellalage in that eventful over stand as their second-most expensive in T20I history, surpassed only by the 36-run over smashed by Kieron Pollard off Akila Dananjaya in 2021.
Mohammad Nabi’s incredible assault not only revived Afghanistan’s innings but also profoundly reignited their hopes of advancing to the Super Fours in the Asia Cup tournament.