Afghanistan Vs Canada: Zadran’s 95* Drives Clinical 82-Run Win as Afghanistan Sign Off Strong
Afghanistan Vs Canada produced a dominant finale to Afghanistan's tournament as Ibrahim Zadran carried his bat for an unbeaten 95 to lead his side to an 82-run victory in Chennai, allowing Afghanistan to sign off on a high.
Afghanistan Vs Canada — Zadran’s masterclass and a decisive bowling performance
Put into bat, Afghanistan recovered from an early wobble in the powerplay after an opening stand of 47 and the fall of Rahmanullah Gurbaz for 30 left them 49/2. Ibrahim Zadran then orchestrated a rebuild, compiling his second successive World Cup fifty and finishing with a personal best of 95 off 56 balls, striking seven fours and five sixes. His 95-run partnership with Sediqullah Atal, who made 44, set the platform for Afghanistan to post a commanding total.
In response, Canada began brightly with Yuvraj Samra driving the first ball of the chase for four and Dilpreet Bajwa initially keeping the momentum with aggressive intent, but Bajwa fell to Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Navneet Dhaliwal endured a brief final international innings and departed without scoring. Veteran Mohammad Nabi made an immediate impact with the ball, removing Samra for 17 and later breaking the partnership attempts that threatened to shift the momentum.
Wickets tumbled for Canada as the innings unravelled. Jaskarandeep Singh finished as Canada's most successful bowler with figures of 3/52 in his four overs, but it was Afghanistan's spin battery that really stifled the chase: Nabi returned to claim multiple wickets, and Rashid produced a key dismissal as Canada slipped to 105/8 in the 18. 1th over. Harsh Thaker and Saad did mount a 53-run stand that briefly stabilised the innings, but Nabi removed Thaker for 30 and then captured Heyliger with the first ball of his final over to finish with four scalps. The tail could not shift the result and Afghanistan sealed victory by 82 runs.
Sign-off with momentum — Afghanistan strong as others stay unbeaten
The win leaves Afghanistan having finished their campaign on a positive note, highlighted by Zadran's standout knock and a disciplined bowling performance that choked the Canadian chase. Afghanistan sign off strong from this match, their seventh partnership and key bowling contributions underscoring a comprehensive team effort.
Elsewhere in the same round of fixtures, the wider tournament picture saw two other teams maintain perfect starts: the West Indies extended their unbeaten streak with a victory over Italy in Kolkata, while Zimbabwe remained undefeated after a six-wicket win over Sri Lanka in Colombo. Those results, together with Afghanistan's dominant finish against Canada, shaped a day of decisive outcomes across the fixtures.
Afghanistan Vs Canada will be remembered for Zadran's unbeaten 95 and for a clinical final phase, with disciplined spin and incisive bowling ensuring Afghanistan closed their campaign with a convincing triumph.
