Afghanistan concluded their T20 World Cup 2026 journey with a dominant 82-run victory over Canada at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The match was defined by a career-best performance from opener Ibrahim Zadran and a historic bowling spell from veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi, providing a fitting farewell for outgoing head coach Jonathan Trott.+1
After being invited to bat first, Afghanistan posted a formidable total of 200/4. Ibrahim Zadran anchored the innings with a masterful, unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, featuring seven boundaries and five sixes. Although he narrowly missed a century, his knock set a new record for the highest individual score by an Afghan batter in a Men’s T20 World Cup.+2
Key Match Highlights
- Zadran’s Record Knock: Ibrahim Zadran’s unbeaten 95 was the backbone of the Afghan innings. He shared a steady 47-run opening stand with Rahmanullah Gurbaz (30) and a decisive 95-run partnership for the third wicket with Sediqullah Atal (44).+1
- Nabi’s Historic Spell: 41-year-old Mohammad Nabi delivered the best bowling figures ever recorded by a player over 40 in an ICC World Cup, finishing with a remarkable 4 for 7 in his four overs.
- Spin Dominance: Afghanistan’s spinners effectively stifled the Canadian chase. Along with Nabi’s four-wicket haul, captain Rashid Khan contributed 2/19 and Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck early in the powerplay.
- Canada’s Resistance: Harsh Thaker (30) and Saad Bin Zafar (28) provided some respectability to the score with a 53-run partnership, but Canada eventually finished at 118/8.
The victory served as a bittersweet end to Afghanistan’s campaign, which saw them fall short of the Super 8s but finish with pride. For Canada, the tournament ended without a win, though the fixture was notable for the retirement of veteran opener Navneet Dhaliwal, who was given a warm send-off by both teams.
