Chennai, February 19 Ibrahim Zadran scored a fluent unbeaten 95, while Mohammed Nabi took four wickets for just seven runs as Afghanistan ended their T20 World Cup campaign with a comprehensive 82-run victory over Canada, here on Thursday.
Canada ended the tournament without a win, while Afghanistan secured their second victory. The Rashid-Khan led side was clearly the better team, and had they won the close encounter against South Africa, they would have avoided an early elimination.
In a match of pride between two already-eliminated sides, Afghanistan rode on a brilliant unbeaten innings from Zadran to post a formidable 200 for four, and then restricted Canada to 118 for 8 to seal an emphatic victory.
With both teams aiming to return home on a high, Afghanistan produced a dominant batting performance after being sent in to bat.
Canada's chase never really gained momentum after captain Dilpreet Bajwa's brief 13 off seven balls in the third over.
They were reduced to 33 for three inside six overs, with Mohammad Nabi taking crucial wickets, including those of Yuvraj Samra (17) and Nicholas Kirton (10).
Off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman removed Bajwa, while Azmatullah Omarzai accounted for Navneet Dhaliwal as Afghanistan tightened the screws early.
Harsh Thaker (30) and Saad Bin Zafar (28) attempted a recovery with a 53-run partnership for the sixth wicket, but Afghanistan's spin duo ensured there was no comeback.
Nabi returned impressive figures of 4 for 7 in four overs, while captain Rashid Khan chipped in with two wickets.
With wickets falling at regular intervals and the required run rate soaring, Canada folded meekly, handing Afghanistan a comprehensive win to close their campaign.
Earlier, Zadran punished the Canada bowlers with seven fours and five sixes, leading Afghanistan to a big total.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz began cautiously but survived an early scare when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Shreyas Movva off pacer Dilon Heyliger in the second over.
It took Gurbaz (30 off 20) a few balls to assess the conditions before he hit a series of boundaries. However, just when he looked set, Jaskaran Singh had him caught at deep point in the sixth over.
Jaskaran struck again three balls later, trapping the dangerous Gulbadin Naib lbw for one, briefly pegging Afghanistan back at 49 for two.
Thereafter, Zadran took charge.
The right-hander ensured the run-rate never dipped, striking freely against both pace and spin. Alongside Sediqullah Atal (44 off 32), he stitched a fluent 95-run partnership for the third wicket, with the duo particularly targeting the spinners.
Zadran was fortunate on 54 when Kaleem Sana dropped a chance off left-arm spinner Ansh Patel. Canada's fielding lapses proved costly, and Afghanistan capitalised with sharp running between the wickets.
Jaskaran eventually broke the stand, inducing Atal to hole out in the deep, but Zadran continued without being fazed. He struck seven fours and five sixes in his 56-ball knock, narrowly missing out on a deserved hundred.
Late cameos from Azmatullah Omarzai (13 off 7) and Darwish Rasooli (4 not out) helped Afghanistan finish strongly at exactly 10 runs per over.
For Canada, Jaskaran (3/52) was the lone bright spot with the ball, but their poor fielding and inability to contain Zadran meant they faced a difficult chase in a match that offered little beyond pride but plenty of competitive intent.
