T20 World Cup AFG vs NAM as it happened: Hamid Hassan, Naveen-ul-haq power Afghanistan’s big win

Right then... over to the main event for the Sunday.

India vs New Zealand: Live updates

POINTS TABLE: Afghanistan had an impressive NRR of +3.092 before this match, they don’t improve it too much. Goes up to +3.097 now. Now they await India and New Zealand. One more win will do them nicely but India, NZ still to face SCO, NAM so NRR equation still not unsurmountable for either. Shaping up nicely.

Namibia 98/9 after 20 overs: Namibia avoid getting all out. Afghanistan back to winning ways in Asghar Afghan’s farewell match. A comprehensive 62-run win for Mohammad Nabi and Co.

Namibia 94/9 after 19 overs: Naveen returns with three dot balls. Namibia have taken this till the last over. Can they reduce the margin further?

Trumpelmann has a reputation for hitting big, and he has hit two fours in Naveen’s over. Will be revisit these moments at the end of Afghanistan’s campaign, one wonders. 94/9 after 18.3.

Namibia 85/9 after 18 overs: Scholtz and Trumpelmann batting on for now, delaying the inevitable. These few runs they score will eat into Afghanistan’s NRR mind you, as good as it is.

Hamid Hassan: 4-0-9-3. Brilliant.

OUT! Namibia 80/9 (16.5 overs) David Wiese was waging a lone battle but the brilliant Hamid Hassan has his third. What a day for him on return to T20I action after 2016.

OUT! Namibia 77/8 (15.6 overs) Another slower ball, another wicket. Gulbadin’s 2nd of the match, Ya France gives him a return catch. Flex those muscles, Naib! NAM 77/8.

Ouch! Gurbaz hurts himself going for a low diving catch running from deep midwicket. Seemed nasty that one, but has stood up and walked off the pitch.

OUT! Namibia 69/7 (14.5 overs): Naveen has his third and it is Frylinck who finds Nabi at midoff. Namibia 73/7 at the end of that over as Wiese hits a four, he’s waging a lone battle.

Afghanistan already had an impressive NRR of +3.092 before this match. They will improve it today it looks like. And then they await India and New Zealand. One more win will do them nicely (India face SCO, NAM in their last 2 matches so NRR equation still not unsurmountable)

Namibia 65/6 after 14 overs: Rashid Khan took a wicket off his first ball, moved to 399 wickets... and that would be it for him tonight! Finishes with 1/14 in his 4 overs.

Namibia 61/6 after 13 overs: Hamid Hassan’s ball to Erasmus looks better with every replay. Another good over from him.

Afghanistan’s NRR is going to be even more impressive when they wrap this up against Namibia

OUT! Namibia 56/6 (11 overs): Two wickets in the over for Hamid! Short ball, JJ Smit gloves it to Shahzad. The end is imminent in Abu Dhabi.

OUT! Namibia 56/5 (10.3 overs) Hugely impressive yorker from Hamid Hassan! Erasmus is on the turf and the ball goes on to hit the stumps.

Hamid back into the attack. Some fireworks to be expected from Wiese here?

Time for a drinks break. Afghanistan well in control but Namibia’s main men showing some fight.

Namibia 55/4 after 10 overs: Wiese handling Rashid quite alright here. Kept things ticking over.

Namibia 49/4 after 9 overs: Decent over for Namibia as Wiese puts one away from Gulbadin for four.

Rashid Khan is one wicket away from 400 in men’s T20s. Will be the 4th bowler to get there.

OUT! Namibia 36/4 (Overs 7.1): Rashid Khan enters the attack. Rashid Khan gets a wicket. Green tries to go for a scoop and is bowled. Poor shot selection first up against Rashid.

Rashid Khan in earlier than usual for Afghanistan. Mujeeb’s absence playing a part.

Namibia 35/3 after 7 overs: Daren Sammy is not the only who’s reminded of Herschelle Gibbs in 1999. Rahmanullah drops a sitter while seemingly getting ready to celebrate a catch. Unlucky bowler is Janat. Erasmus gets the life.

Namibia 29/3 after 6 overs: A wicket maiden for Gulbadin Naib and Afghanistan are in complete control!

OUT! Namibia 29/3 after 5.2 overs: Gulbadin into the attack and strikes with the change of pace. Loftie-Eaton going for a huge swipe, misses the ball, bails clipped.

Namibia 29/2 after 5 overs: Super first over from Hamid Hassan, just 2 off it. Afghanistan well in control

Namibia 27/2 after *4 overs: Oh, close call! Afghanistan review an LBW decision as Loftie-Eaton completely misses a reverse sweep and it looked like an optimistic review at first. But umpire’s call! The left-hander then smacks another over long on for six.

Skipper Erasmus joins Loftie-Eaton

OUT! Namibia 16/2 (2.4 overs): Naveen on song! Superb change of pace from the pacer (he does that so well) and he has his 2nd wicket in his 2nd over. Van Lingen gone, leading edge taken (just about).

Namibia 13/1 after 2 overs: van Lingen takes on Nabi despite the less favourable match up, and connects brilliantly. Six over midwicket. Loftie-Eaton is the new batter as Namibia continue to keep things interesting with their order.

Target for Namibia: 161 Afghanistan strike in the first over, Naveen-ul-Haq removes Craig Williams. Not the start Namibia wanted. 3/1 after 1 over.

Asghar Afghan is still in tears as the run-chase begins for Namibia.

AFG 160/5 after 20 overs: A big last over! Wiese errs on his length a couple of times and Nabi doesn’t miss out. Two fours in that final over and Afghanistan finish with 160/5. It is a handy total with the bowling unit they have (even in Mujeeb’s absence).

Wiese with the last over

OUT! AFG *148/5 after 19 overs: Na-big! Smacks one over midwicket for a huge six. Follows that up with another clever dab past the two fielders behind square. Trumpelmann then gets the wicket off his final ball as Asghar falls for a 23-ball 31. Congratulations from his captain and the rest of the Namibia team as well. Great scenes in the middle in Abu Dhabi.

Trumpelmann for his fourth

AFG 136/4 after 18 overs: A lovely shot from Nabi to convert a wide yorker into a clever outside edge for four past short third. But still just 6 from that Wiese over. Good from Namibia’s point of view.

AFG 130/4 after 17 overs: A four for Nabi and a couple of fours behind the stumps for Asghar and it is a big over from Smit. Afghanistan looking for a big finish.

REVIEW LOST: Now Namibia’s turn to use up their reviews. All four done and dusted. Pitched outside from Smit, probably going outside with the angle too.

OUT! AFG 113/4 (15.4 overs): Yikes. Why would you review that, if you didn’t hit it?! Shocking from Najib, as he misses one that turns in from Loftie-Eaton.

AFG 109/3 after 15 overs: After that expensive start, a streaky four off inside edge for Najib. Big over for AFG.

Frylinck returns. And starts with wide-six-wide for 8 runs off effectively one delivery.

AFG 96/3 after 14 overs: Erasmus brings himself on, what with the ball keeping low and taking some turn, and Asghar puts away the first ball for four. Good recovery for the rest of the over.

OUT! AFG 89/3 after 12.4 overs: He didn’t have a lot of the strike early on but played a good hand nevertheless. Shahzad falls for 45 (33 balls) as Trumpelmann strikes. Tries to be cheeky with a scoop but finds short third.

Trumpelmann returns, can he finish better than he started?

AFG 87/2 after 12 overs: Shahzad is going big! Picks up the flight and length on this one from Loftie-Eaton early and sends it over midwicket for six. Must help to have practice facing Rashid in the nets.

AFG 77/2 after 11 overs: Shahzad has not much of the strike but he is still going at 133 for his 36. A four for him through midwicket in that over.

More spin from Scholtz. Can Namibia pile on the pressure?

OUT! AFG 68/2 after 9.5 overs: Loftie-Eaton has bowled some gems in his first couple of overs and gets the wicket of Rahmanullah for a 8-ball 4. Given out LBW while trying to sweep a full ball and it is plumb, a horror review that. (Rashid though must be loving what he’s seeing at the moment from this pitch).

AFG 65/1 after *9 overs: Shahzad gets away with a pull shot that he was not in control of, putting over the short fine fielder for four. Good one for AFG from Frylinck.

AFG 55/1 after 8 overs: Oh oh oh. Loftie-Eaton with his fast leg breaks and those are ominous signs for NAM batters. Turn, low bounce. Great over though.

Rahmanullah the new batter in. 53/1 after 7 overs.

OUT! AFG 53/1 after 6.4 overs BREAKTHROUGH! JJ Smit, pick of Namibia’s bowlers so far, strikes in his 2nd over. Zazai connects well off his hip but finds the fielder in the deep.

AFG 50/0 after 6 overs: Shahzad bided his time in the powerplay and then goes bang in the last over! A four past midwicket and an upper cut for six off Wiese. 50 comes up at the end of the PP. Super start for Afghanistan.

AFG 37/0 after 5 overs: ZAZAI GOES BIG! After a streaky inside edge for four, he slams one over midwicket for a mighty one. The sound off the bat, woof. A really good over, still ends up costing 11 because of one bad ball. Shahzad, meanwhile, is a spectator in the powerplay. Has faced only 6 balls.

Frylinck comes on. You guessed, left arm pace.

AFG *26/0 after 4 overs: Trunpelmann finding out, as Sunil Gavaskar would say, why cricket is a great leveller. Was unplayable under the lights against Scotland, has gone 0/20 in his first 2 overs today. Two boundaries for Zazai in that over.

AFG 17/0 after 3 overs: Oh, Wiese almost strikes first ball. A complete mishit leading edge from Zazai but it falls in the vacant midwicket region. Really good over from the allrounder, just two singles at the start of it.

AFG 15/0 after 2 overs: Tighter lines and more consistent lengths from Smit, good over for Namibia.

More left-arm pace from JJ Smit

AFG 11/0 after 1 over: Oh Zazai. Not wasting any time in making his intentions clear. Trumpelmann strays outside off and it is cut away (outside edge) for four, and when he goes full, the left-hander smacks one down the ground for six.

Ruben Trumpelmann proved the value of left-arm pace with a superb spell of three for 17, with all three wickets in the first over of the innings, to break the back of Scotland. Can he provide a good start again?

National anthems... Namibia, followed by Afghanistan.

3.20 pm: A big part of Afghanistan’s game plan is to bat first, bat big. Their top order is, as the descriptor goes these days, is filled with intent machines. But Namibia have showed their bowlers, dominated by left-arm pace, can be a handful. The powerplay will go some way in deciding which way this goes in Abu Dhabi.

Playing XIs

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi (c), Karim Janat, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan

Namibia: Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green (wk), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Loftie-Eaton, Jan Frylinck, Pikky Ya France, Ruben Trumpelmann, Bernard Scholtz

ICYMI: Asghar Afghan to retire from international cricket after Namibia match

TOSS: Mohammad Nabi wins the toss and, no surprise, opts to bat in Abu Dhabi. No Mujeeb for them though, Nabi says their star spinner is not fit. No changes for Namibia who would love to unleash their left-arm pace battery early.

Naveen-Ul-Haq remains confident of Afghanistan bouncing back in this Group:

“I think the table is right open, other than Pakistan who have already confirmed their spot in the semifinals,” he said.

“There are three teams that will be fighting for that spot because India has played one and lost one. And New Zealand has played one and lost one.

“We’ll be having a great contest, great matchup coming up with them in a week’s time.

“So you can’t say much at the moment who will be qualifying or who is not. It’s only Pakistan who have made it through. But there is still one spot.”

— via ICC Online Media Zone

02.50 pm:

Namibia have left no stone unturned in planning to deal with Afghanistan’s deadly spin trio, according to batter Craig Williams.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup debutants beat Scotland by four wickets in their opening game, making a confident start to the Super 12 stage.

Now they need to do what so many batting line-ups have failed to do, which is to tame Afghan twirlers Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

“We’ve put in extreme amounts of analysis into the opposition and we’ve worked on individual game plans,” said Williams.

“So I think sitting where we are now tonight, we’re in a really good place. Anything could happen in T20 cricket, we know that.

“We’ve played Afghanistan, many, many times in the past. We know what they can do.

“So it’s just about on the day being able to handle our nerves and execute the plans to put in place.

“So, in terms of playing spin, we’re extremely confident against spin. It’s just a matter of being able to execute your plan on the day against the best in the world because that’s who we’re playing against.”

— via ICC Online Media Zone

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of Afghanistan vs Namibia Super 12 match at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi.

Debutants Namibia beat Scotland by four wickets in their opening game, making a confident start to the Super 12 stage. Now they need to do what so many batting line-ups have failed to do, which is to tame Afghan twirlers Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan need to pick themselves up in Group 1.

They came close to defend 148 against Pakistan, eventually falling by five wickets with the target chased down with an over to spare. Mohammad Nabi’s side have appeared at the tournament five times but never gone past this stage. They will want to put the pressure on India and New Zealand with an emphatic win.