BASSETERRE - Heavy rain has reduced the second T20 International of the three-match series between West Indies and Afghanistan to 15 overs per side with the home team totalling 112 for three batting first.
Their innings was interrupted by torrential showers which held up play for almost two hours with the West Indies then at 79 for two off 11 overs. They managed to get another 33 runs off the remaining four overs on the resumption. Based on calculations on the Duckworth Lewis System, Afghanistan have been set a revised target of 123 for victory to keep the series alive going into the final match at the same venue on Monday.
After captain Carlos Brathwaite chose to bat first on winning the toss, openers Chadwick Walton and Evin Lewis sought to give their team a flying start with a succession of boundaries. Both got into the twenties before falling though. Walton was caught at long-on off spinner Mohammad Nabi while Lewis pulled a short ball from medium-pacer Karim Janat to be taken at deep midwicket.
Marlon Samuels and Lendl Simmons were just getting into stride when the heavy showers swept across the ground and when play eventually resumed, Samuels departed to the bowling of Gulbadin Naib in the desperate rush for runs. Victors by six wickets in the opening fixture a day earlier, the home side retained an unchanged 11 in pursuit of a win that would clinch the series.
Afghanistan made two changes from the side that was especially disappointing with the bat on Friday. Noor Ali Zadran replaced Usman Ghani at the top of the batting order while Dawlat Zadran came into the final eleven at the expense of fellow seamer Shapoor Zadran.
Scoreboard
WEST INDIES:
C Walton c Noor Ali b Nabi 29
E Lewis c Naib b Janat 25
M Samuels c Najibullah b Naib 22
L Simmons not out 17
C Brathwaite not out 8
EXTRAS: (b-2, lb-2, w-7) 11
TOTAL: (3 wkts, 15 overs) 112
FOW: 1-42, 2-74, 3-97.
BOWLING: D. Zadran 3-0-33-0 (2w), K. Janat 3-0-19-1 (1w), A. Hamza 2-0-11-0, M. Nabi 2-0-21-1, R. Khan 3-0-14-0, G. Naib 2-0-10-1.
AFGHANISTAN:
G Naib b Badree 12
Noor Ali c Taylor b Williams 6
A Stanikzai c Simmons b Brathwaite 9
S Shenwari c wkpr Walton b Williams 0
M Nabi run out 8
K Janat c Brathwaite b Williams 20
Shafiqullah run out 1
Najibullah b Brathwaite 11
R Khan b Narine 2
D Zadran b Taylor 9
A Hamza not out 6
EXTRAS: (b-4, lb-4, w-1) 9
TOTAL: (all out, 13.3 overs) 93
FOW: 1-15, 2-19, 3-19, 4-34, 5-40, 6-41, 7-52, 8-55, 9-85, 10-93.
BOWLING: S. Badree 3-0-11-1, J. Taylor 2-0-13-1 (1w), K. Williams 2.3-0-11-3, S. Narine 3-0-24-1, C. Brathwaite 3-0-26-2.
TOSS: West Indies
UMPIRES: Gregory Brathwaite (BAR), Joel Wilson (TRI)
MATCH REFEREE: Jeff Crowe (NZL)
