APL 2018, Semifinal 1, Balkh Legends vs Nangarhar Leopards, Review: Legends register a gobsmacking win to enter the finals

The Balkh Legends pulled off a scintillating all-round performance in the first semifinal of the Afghanistan Premier League which saw the Nangarhar Leopards bow out with utter humiliation. This win was also the second biggest in terms of runs for any side in T20 history (171 runs).

Chris Gayle and Darwish Rasooli once again provided a stunning start to the Legends and smacked a few big hits at the outset. Gayle smashed 54 off 30 balls, which included nine fours and a couple of sixes. The duo added 75 runs in 44 balls before the Jamaican was dismissed by the Leopards’ skipper Ben Cutting.

The flurry of runs never stopped as Colin Munro joined the party and kept the scoreboard running at a quick pace. They added another big partnership for the second wicket, which saw them cross the 150-run mark inside 14 overs. After Munro’s dismissal, the scoring rate escalated furthermore as Mohammad Nabi unleashed his A game.

Rasooli had completed his fifty and was giving the bulk of the strike to Nabi. The skipper registered one of the most stunning cameos of the tournament and clobbered 47 runs off 16 balls. They breached the elusive 200-run mark in the 17 over and they had a huge total in mind.

Nangarhar managed to pick some wickets towards the end and eventually, the Legends registered a whopping 235 runs for the loss of five wickets. This was the second biggest team score of the tournament and Nabi’s side almost managed to overhaul their previous best total.

Nabi fires with the ball as well

Chasing such massive totals adds a lot of pressure on the openers to give a blistering start but against bowlers like Mohammad Nabi with the new ball, it’s next to impossible. He picked up two wickets in the third over of the innings and Aftab Alam chipped with the third wicket next over.

Nabi got the big fish Hashmatullah Shahidi and Mirwais Ashraf cleaned up Anton Devcich’s stumps after which the Leopards were five down inside the powerplay. The game was pretty much done and dusted and the final few wickets were only a formality.

The Leopards showed no resilience to stick in the middle and everyone kept slogging the ball obnoxiously, ultimately gifting their wicket. They got bowled out for a paltry 64 runs in 13.1 overs, which saw the Nabi’s men romp through to the finals by 171 runs.

Nabi chipped in with a sensational spell of 4/12 and for his all-round blitz, he was named the player of the match. Qais Ahmad registered three wickets and gave away just 18 runs in 4 overs.

Brief Scores

Balkh Legends: 235/5 in 20 overs (Darwish Rasooli 78, Chris Gayle 54, Mohammad Nabi 47)

Nangarhar Leopards: 64 all out in 13.1 overs (Mohammad Nabi 4/12, Qais Ahmad 3/18, Mirwais Ashraf 2/14)

Result: Balkh Legends won by 171 runs.

Player of the match: Mohammad Nabi

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