afghanistan vs canada — Zadran’s 95 steers Afghanistan to 200/4 in Chennai
Afghanistan posted their highest T20 World Cup total, reaching 200/4 in Chennai on Thursday (ET), powered by a superb 95 from Ibrahim Zadran. Canada began the chase with intent but lost momentum quickly as Afghanistan’s disciplined batting and key breakthroughs left the visitors under pressure.
Zadran anchors Afghanistan’s charge
Put into bat, Afghanistan began positively with an opening stand of 47, but the innings wobbled when Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell for 30 and the side slipped to 49/2 inside the powerplay. From there Ibrahim Zadran took control, fashioning a composed half-century and forming a crucial 95-run partnership with Sediqullah Atal, who contributed 44.
Zadran finished with a career-best 95 off 56 balls, striking seven fours and five sixes as he paced his innings expertly through the middle overs and the back end. The pair’s platform allowed Afghanistan to accelerate in the final phase and post a total that will test most T20 chasing sides on a Chennai surface.
Canada’s bowlers had moments to celebrate—Jaskarandeep Singh emerged as the pick with 3/52 in his four overs—but could not prevent Afghanistan from building partnerships and maintaining a healthy run rate throughout the innings.
Canada’s chase: early spark, then setbacks
Canada began the reply with clear intent. Yuvraj Samra signalled aggression by pulling a boundary off the very first ball he faced from Mujeeb ur Rahman, and captain Dilpreet Bajwa followed with two well-timed sixes to keep the scoreboard ticking.
That momentum proved fragile. Bajwa, looking to create room against Mujeeb, was beaten and lost his wicket as the stumps were uprooted. Navneet Dhaliwal, a key figure for the visitors, could not make a dent on this occasion—playing straight to backward point for a five-ball duck. Those early setbacks left Canada reeling and forced the middle order to rebuild against a high-quality Afghan bowling attack.
With Afghanistan’s total looming large, Canada will need significant contributions from multiple batters and a tight display in the death overs to chase down 200. The initial intent is there for the young Canadian side, but converting that promise into a sustained chase will be the decisive factor if they are to post an upset.
Tournament context and what’s next
The 200/4 is Afghanistan’s highest total in the T20 World Cup era and underlines their continued status as a dangerous, well-rounded outfit in the shorter format. Their bowling bench, depth in batting and ability to post big totals make them a stern proposition for any opponent in the group stage.
Elsewhere on the day, other matches produced notable results with unbeaten runs maintained by teams that will feel confident heading into the Super Eight stages. For Canada, this match provides a stern assessment of their chase temperament and depth; for Afghanistan, the job will be to back up the batting performance with a clinical bowling display to close the game out.
As the tournament progresses, Afghanistan will look to build on this strong batting statement while Canada aim to convert flashes of intent into a consistent match-winning formula.
