There is a particular cruelty to dead rubber cricket matches. Both teams already eliminated. Nothing riding on the result. Half-empty stadiums. Commentators filling time between deliveries. Most players going through motions they’ll forget by the time they board the flight home.
Nobody told Ibrahim Zadran it was a dead rubber.
Nobody told Mohammad Nabi either.
In what was Jonathan Trott’s final match as Afghanistan head coach — the end of a three-year chapter that took Afghan cricket from promising to genuinely dangerous — Zadran smashed an unbeaten 95 off just 56 balls, Afghanistan posted their highest-ever T20 World Cup total of 200/4, and Nabi then produced career-best T20I figures of 4/7 from four overs to dismiss Canada for 118 and seal an 82-run victory. A match that meant nothing in qualification terms became, somehow, one of the most complete Afghan performances of this entire tournament.
That is this Afghanistan side in a nutshell — fierce, proud, never switching off, always playing for something larger than a points table.
Match Summary: Zadran's Record and Nabi's Web
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 - Match 39 - Afghanistan vs Canada
Afghanistan’s 82-run victory was a clinic in “Chepauk” cricket. After being put into bat, Afghanistan recovered from the early loss of Rahmanullah Gurbaz (7). *Ibrahim Zadran (95)** and Sediqullah Atal (44) shared a devastating 95-run partnership that took the game away from the North Americans. Canada’s chase never found its feet. Against a barrage of spin on a gripping surface, they collapsed from 24/0 to 48/5. Veteran Mohammad Nabi was unplayable, picking up four wickets for just seven runs in his four overs. Rashid Khan chipped in with 2/19 to ensure Afghanistan finished their tournament on a massive high.
Playing XI
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (C), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Ziaur Rahman.
Canada
Dilpreet Bajwa (C), Yuvraj Samra, Navneet Dhaliwal, Nicholas Kirton, Shreyas Movva (WK), Harsh Thaker, Saad Bin Zafar, Jaskaran Singh, Dilon Heyliger, Shivam Sharma, Ansh Patel.
Key Stats & Records From Today's Match:
Afghan High: Ibrahim Zadran’s 95* is the highest individual score by an Afghanistan player in Men’s T20 World Cup history.
Nabi’s Peak: 4/7 are the best bowling figures for Mohammad Nabi in his T20 career.
Spin Dominance: Spinners took 7 out of the 8 wickets in the Canadian innings.
Trott’s Farewell: This match marked the end of Jonathan Trott’s successful coaching stint with Afghanistan.
Innings Breakdown
First Innings: The Ibrahim Zadran Epic
The first half of the Afghanistan vs Canada T20 World Cup 2026 Highlights saw Ibrahim Zadran rewrite history. After a cautious start, Zadran blazed 95 off 56 balls*, including 7 fours and 5 sixes. His ability to manipulate the field was aided by Sediqullah Atal (44), who played the aggressor in the middle overs. Afghanistan’s execution in the death overs was perfect, plundering 56 runs in the final four overs to reach 200/4—their highest total of the tournament.
Second Innings: The Nabi Spin Clinic
Canada’s chase was an uphill battle against the world’s best spin attack on their favorite surface. Mohammad Nabi (4/7) produced a spell for the ages, utilizing his height and subtle variations to bowl 68 dot balls—more than half the innings. Canada’s batters appeared overwhelmed, with no player crossing 30. Despite a late 53-run stand by Saad Bin Zafar (27) and Harsh Thaker (30), Afghanistan’s disciplined lines meant Canada finished at a distant 118/8.
The “Dot-Ball” Masterclass: The true statistical anomaly of this match was the dot-ball ratio. Afghanistan played out only 31 dot balls in their entire 20 overs, showing an elite level of strike rotation. In stark contrast, they bowled a staggering 68 dot balls to Canada. This more-than-double efficiency in strike-rotation is the primary marker of Afghanistan’s evolution from a purely “power-hitting” team to a tactically mature international powerhouse.
Top Performers
Ibrahim Zadran (95 off 56 balls) - Player of the Match
Zadran’s knock was of genuine class. He took responsibility after Gurbaz fell early and batted through the innings. His 95* is now the benchmark for Afghan batting in World Cups, characterized by clean hitting and elite strike rotation.
Mohammad Nabi (4/7 off 4 overs) - The Evergreen Master
At 41, Nabi showed why he is indispensable. His figures of 4/7 are not only his personal best but among the top 5 most economical 4-wicket hauls in T20 World Cup history. He dismantled the Canadian middle order with surgical precision.
Sediqullah Atal (44 off 32 balls) - The Supporting Act
Atal’s innings was crucial in allowing Zadran to settle. His aggressive intent in the middle overs prevented the Canadian spinners from settling into a rhythm, providing the momentum Afghanistan needed to reach the 200-mark.
One Last Dance: Trott's Farewell
The result confirmed what had been announced earlier this week — Jonathan Trott would step down as Afghanistan head coach after this match, ending a three-year tenure that transformed Afghanistan from an unpredictable Associate side into a structured, strategically sophisticated cricket team.
Trott took over in 2023 with a simple brief: bring England’s analytical, process-driven coaching philosophy to a team that had raw talent but inconsistent application. What followed exceeded expectations. Afghanistan reached the semi-finals of the 2024 T20 World Cup — the greatest achievement in their cricketing history. They developed players like Azmatullah Omarzai into genuine match-winners. They built a spin bowling unit — Rashid, Nabi, Mujeeb — that is feared by every batting lineup in world cricket. And under Trott’s watch, Sikandar Raza — wait, that’s Zimbabwe. But the point stands: the professionalism, the data analysis, the batting structure — all Trott’s fingerprints.
“I am incredibly proud of what this group of players has achieved,” Trott said in his post-match address to the team, with several players visibly emotional on the outfield. “They come from a country that has faced unimaginable challenges, and they represent it with dignity and brilliance every time they take the field. It has been the honour of my coaching career.”
He received a guard of honour from both Afghanistan and Canada players as he walked off the MA Chidambaram outfield for the final time. Even in a dead rubber. Even with empty stands. Even with nothing on the line. Because in cricket, these moments matter.
Key Moments & Turning Points: The "Bat-Stuck" Run Out
The Zadran Drop: Canada’s fielding proved their undoing. On 54, Ibrahim Zadran was dropped at long-on. He went on to add 41 more runs in just 16 balls, turning a 170-target into a psychological wall of 200.
The “Presidential” Triple Strike: In the 15th over, Mohammad Nabi removed Harsh Thaker and Dilon Heyliger in the space of three balls. This “double-wicket maiden” phase ended any hope of a Canadian tail-end miracle.
Rashid’s Double-Blow: Just as Canada looked to stabilize through a 53-run stand between Thaker and Saad Bin Zafar, Rashid Khan returned to remove both, effectively ending the resistance.
What This Result Means for Group A - India Qualify for Super-8
This victory has solidified India’s status as Group A toppers and makes them the first team to qualify for the Super 8s. With a perfect record and a massive NRR, India is the team to beat. For Pakistan, this loss is devastating. Their tournament life now depends on other results going their way, and their inability to compete in high-pressure games has sparked intense criticism of their leadership and tactical approach.
T20 World Cup 2026 Group D Points Table
Final Group D Points Table
Match Highlights - Afghanistan vs Canada T20 World Cup 2026
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