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ICC Men's T20 World Cup in Abu Dhabi Afghanistan 160-5 (20 runs): Shahzad 45 (33) and Zazai 33 (27); Loftie-Eaton 2--21 Namibia 98-9 (20 runs): Wiese 26 (30); Hassan 3--9, Naveen 3-9. Afghanistan won by 62 runs Scorecard.
To boost their hopes of reaching the semi-finals, Afghanistan defeated Namibia by 62 runs in Men's T20 World Cup.
After Afghanistan's overwhelming effort, Namibia was left with 161, and Namibia managed 98-9 in 20 overs.
As Namibia lost momentum, Opener Craig Williams left in the first over.
Hamid Hassan played his first international T20 since 2016 with a stunning 3-9. His fellow seamer Naveen ul-Haq was also impressive with 3-26.
After their defeat by Pakistan, Afghanistan bounced back by choosing to bat first, and then backing their bowlers to defend their score.
Hazratullah Shahzad and Mohammad Shahzad, both hard-hitting openers, added 53 runs to make it the first wicket. Mohammad Nabi was next with 32 runs (32 not out from 17), and Asghar Afghan (31 run from 23). Asghar Afghan played his last international match and he added some useful lower-order runs to boost their total.
Afghanistan is now second in the table, behind Pakistan. However, Afghanistan has played more games than India or New Zealand, who meet at 14.00 GMT.
Afghanistan boost semi-final chances
Despite Afghanistan's incredible rise in international T20 cricket, few would have supported them to make it out a group that also included Pakistan, India and New Zealand.
They were able to win against Pakistan, which was perhaps not surprising. Now they are comfortably beating Namibia with two wins.
Their openers were aggressive from the start and their'six-or-nothing' approach against Pakistan led to their defeat. However, they have a competent middle and lower order that can help them get out of trouble if needed.
Their bowling is the trump card. They were formidable against Namibia even without Mujeeb Ur Rahman, who was not 100% fit to play. Rashid Khan, however, had a quiet day and took just one wicket.
Naveen and Hassan combined unwavering accuracy with well-executed variations in order to bamboozle Namibia's batters. This is even more impressive considering Hassan hasn't played an international T20 match for nearly five years.
They still have a lot of work to do, but it is not impossible for them to upset New Zealand or India given their current playing style.
Emotional Asghar resigns mid-tournament
After his departure for 31 days, Asghar Afghan, former captain, received an emotional guardian of honour from his teammates
Former Afghanistan captain Afghan was moved by the match and announced that he would be retiring following this fixture.
His aggressive knock was a key factor in their defenseable total.
After his dismissal, his teammates formed a tunnel with his bats and formed an emotion.
After Afghanistan's innings, Afghan spoke in an emotional interview. He wiped his eyes with tears as he talked. At the end, he was carried off the field by his teammates.
"I'm retiring to give my children a chance. He said that the team is playing excellent cricket and that it was a great opportunity for them to step up.
Reaction: "Just too good for us"
Gerhard Erasmus, Namibia captain: "We knew this would be a higher level than our previous games due to them being Test-playing nations and having top 10 bowlers in the world. They were simply too good for us today."
Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan captain: "The boys seem to be in good spirits at the moment. It's not a good plan to bat first every time. However, we talk about all options during the meetings.
"We have high quality seamers, and they have many variations. Hamid Hassan, who came in today, bowled beautifully."
