West Indies captain Brandon King did not sugarcoat his assessment after his side suffered a comprehensive 39-run defeat to Afghanistan on Wednesday, a loss that confirmed a 2-0 T20I series defeat in Dubai.
While acknowledging moments of individual encouragement, King made it clear that incremental gains would not mask the broader shortcomings exposed across both matches.
Once again, lapses in the field proved costly. Missed opportunities, particularly dropped catches, allowed Afghanistan’s innings to gather momentum and ultimately placed the West Indies under pressure they could not withstand.
Bowlers offer selection headaches despite team struggles
Despite the series setback, King identified several bowlers whose performances may have strengthened their claims for inclusion in the final T20 World Cup squad.
“A few of the bowlers have done well,” King said.
“Gudakesh Motie, in the first game, obviously bowled a really good spell, Jayden Seales as well, in the first game. I think Matthew Forde came back well in this game, bowling some good spells. So there are some positives to look at.”
Those bright moments, however, were insufficient to counterbalance the inconsistencies that allowed Afghanistan to dictate both contests.
King and Hetmyer spark hope before sudden collapse
Chasing a challenging target of 190, the West Indies briefly revived their prospects through a 68-run partnership between King and Shimron Hetmyer. King struck a measured 50, while Hetmyer counterpunched with 46, the pair stabilizing the innings after early setbacks.
The captain explained the tactical simplicity behind their approach.
“It was pretty simple for us. We tried to target the shorter boundary, you know, being a left-right combination. Hetmyer was going a bit better than me, and it was good to see. We tried to bring it as late as possible, to carry that partnership as deep as possible, but it didn’t work out for us.”
Their dismissals proved decisive. Once separated, the West Indies’ innings unraveled dramatically.
Mujeeb’s hat-trick turns the match on its head
From a relatively stable 106 for four, the West Indies collapsed to 150 all out, undone by a devastating spell from Afghanistan off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Mujeeb carved through the lower order with a maiden T20I hat-trick, finishing with exceptional figures of 4 for 21 and extinguishing any lingering hopes of a comeback.
With the series already decided, King turned his attention to Thursday’s final fixture, stressing the need for immediate and tangible improvement across all facets of the game.
“We are just looking for improvement in all three departments of the game. Obviously, fielding for sure. We dropped a few catches again this game, and that will help us to restrict them to a lower total. Obviously, we want some better starts with the bat, to set up a foundation for the backend hitters to finish the game. So improvement all around, and hopefully we’ll just get better with each game.”
Afghanistan batters lay the foundation for another statement win
Afghanistan’s dominance was built on a commanding batting performance. Darwish Rasooli continued his impressive run of form with a fluent 68, his third consecutive T20I half-century, and shared a pivotal 115-run partnership with Sediqullah Atal, who contributed a composed 53. Their efforts propelled Afghanistan to a formidable 189 for four.
The victory secured Afghanistan’s third straight T20I series win, providing further momentum as they head into their final match before the T20 World Cup. The West Indies, meanwhile, will look to salvage pride in the series finale before turning their attention to an upcoming tour of South Africa.
