‘I did my job’, says Afghan match-winner Shenwari

Man-of-the-match’s 96 helped his side chase 211 by the skin of their teeth.

DUNEDIN: Samiullah Shenwari insisted he had simply ‘done his job’ after his superb 96 set up Afghanistan’s first-ever World Cup win with a thrilling one-wicket victory over Scotland in Dunedin on Thursday.

For the second time in as many days, following Ireland’s nail-biting win over the UAE on Wednesday, two non-Test nations produced a dramatic climax to a World Cup match.

Shenwari turned this contest on its head with a 147-ball innings featuring seven fours and five sixes.

But when he holed out to off-spinner Majid Haq, trying to go for another six, Afghanistan still needed 19 more runs off as many balls with just one wicket standing.



However, the last-wicket duo of Hamid Hassan (15 not out) and Shapoor Zadran (12 not out) held their nerve.

“It was difficult because we lost early wickets but I did my job,” said man-of-the-match Shenwari.

After he was out, Shenwari could be seen sitting with his head in his hands, seemingly in despair at costing Afghanistan the match.

“It was a very poor shot,” he admitted. “I was trying to get another six but it was a very good win for us.”

Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi thought his side had thrown away their chance with the bat after restricting Scotland to 210 all out. “The pressure was extreme again but Shenwari batted brilliantly,” said Nabi. “It’s good to put two points on the board. This is our first win in the World Cup and everyone [in Afghanistan] will enjoy this.”

For Scotland, now appearing in their third World Cup, the wait for a win in the tournament goes on after they looked certain to break their duck in Dunedin — the Gaelic name for Edinburgh.

“It’s never easy losing a game but this is a particularly difficult one for us to swallow,” said Scotland captain Preston Mommsen, whose side have now lost all three of their pool matches following defeats by New Zealand and England. “We had them seven down but couldn’t finish them off. It just wasn’t to be.” 

Published in The Express Tribune, February 27^th,  2015.

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