AFG vs WI,1st T20I: Lewis Blistering 50, Pollard All-round Heroics Guide Windies To 30-run Win

West Indies won the opening rubber of the 3-match T20 international series on Thursday on the back of a fiery half ton by opener Evin Lewis and allround show by skipper Kieron Pollard

West Indies defeated Afghanistan by 30 runs to win the 1st T20 international played at the Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow and take a handy 1-0 lead in the 3-match T20I series on Thursday. The win ensured Windies broke their 7-match losing streak in the shortest format of the game. Batting first West Indies posted a challenging 165 run target riding high on a blistering 68-run knock by opener Evin Lewis. Lewis was well supported by Shimron Hetmyer (21) , Denesh Ramdin (20) and skipper Kieron Pollard (32) who played handy knocks to help their team set a daunting 164-run total. Gulbadin Naib was the most successful of the Afghanistani bowlers, picking up 2 wickets. Meanwhile, off spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan and Naveen-ul-Haq picked one wicket each.

West Indies finish their 20 overs on 164/5.

Evin Lewis starred for the batting side with a 41-ball 68 while Gulbadin Naib picked up 2/24 for Afghanistan. #AFGvWI ➡️ https://t.co/98iSF64HFM pic.twitter.com/7RaXQpB2ql — ICC (@ICC) November 14, 2019

In reply to Windies imposing 165-run target, Afghanistan had a horrendous start losing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran cheaply. Hazratullah Zazai tried to stabilize the innings but was dismissed by Kesrick Williams. Asghar Afghan and Najibullah Zadran then stitched a gritty partnership to resurrect the innings but  Hayden Walsh and Kesrick Williams came back strongly to polish off the Afghanistan tail and helped the Maroon Brigade Kesrick Williams was the pick of the Windies bowlers, accounting for three Afghanistan dismissals. Skipper Kieron Pollard was named the man of the match was for his stellar all-round show, scoring a quick-fire 32 off 22 deliveries  and returning with impressive figures of 2-32.