West Indies narrowly edged Afghanistan by 13 runs in the third T20I of the three-match series in Dubai. Chasing a target of 152, Afghanistan managed to score 138 for 8 in 20 overs. West Indies fought back in dramatic fashion as Shamar Springer grabbed a hat-trick in the 19th over to deny Afghanistan a clean sweep in the T20I series.

His excellent over conceded just five runs, which left Ramon Simmonds with 19 runs to defend in the final over. The young left-arm pacer stayed calm and sealed the win with accurate yorkers and low full tosses that were difficult to hit.

Afghanistan on top before sudden collapse

Earlier, Afghanistan looked well on course to chase down 152. Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 59 runs in seven overs, giving their team a strong start.

Gurbaz controlled the chase with a composed half-century and kept Afghanistan in charge for most of the innings. However, everything changed after Springer’s intervention late in the game.

With his hat-trick, Springer became only the third West Indies player, after Jason Holder and Romario Shepherd, to take a hat-trick in men’s T20 internationals. He celebrated with his trademark chest roll, stealing the spotlight from Rashid Khan, who earlier bowled a tight spell of 4-0-13-2.

West Indies struggle, then recover with late surge

After being asked to bat, West Indies made a slow start and managed just 27 runs in the first four overs. Johnson Charles, opening in the absence of Alick Athanaze and injured Evin Lewis, struggled to score freely. He made 17 off 17 balls before getting bowled by Shahidullah.

Stand-in captain Brandon King counter-attacked during the powerplay, hitting Shahidullah and Mujeeb Ur Rahman for sixes. However, he failed to dominate Rashid Khan and eventually fell for 47 off 35 balls in the 15th over.

In the same over, Rashid dismissed Shimron Hetmyer for 13 off six balls, once again showing his mastery with sharp legbreaks and deceptive wrong’uns. Rashid now stands just six wickets away from 700 T20 wickets, a historic milestone.

Late hitting lifts West Indies to 151

West Indies gained momentum at the death as Matthew Forde and Springer added crucial runs. The pair scored 40 runs in the last three overs.

Forde smashed 27 off 11 balls, including two sixes off Zaiur Rahman Sharifi, while Springer struck two boundaries off Abdollah Ahmadzai in the 19th over. West Indies eventually posted 151, a total that seemed below par at one stage.

Gurbaz anchors Afghanistan’s chase

Gurbaz started slowly, scoring 17 off 19 balls in the powerplay. However, he found rhythm in the seventh over by hitting Justin Greaves for three fours.

After Forde removed Zadran for 28 off 27 balls, Gurbaz pressed on and reached his fifty in 44 balls. Afghanistan needed just 58 runs from 36 balls with nine wickets in hand, putting them firmly ahead.

Springer turns the match on its head

Springer first struck by dismissing Sediqullah Atal for 7, followed by Khary Pierre trapping Darwish Rasooli lbw for 4. Gurbaz responded by sweeping Pierre for consecutive boundaries, easing the pressure again.

However, the game changed when Afghanistan needed 25 off 12 balls.

Springer removed Gurbaz, caught at the midwicket boundary, for 71 off 58 balls. On the very next delivery, Rashid Khan edged one to deep third, where Pierre completed a sharp catch.

Despite West Indies dropping several catches earlier in the series, their fielding held firm when it mattered most.

Springer then completed his hat-trick by yorking Shahidullah. Although Mujeeb Ur Rahman struck the final ball of the over for four, Afghanistan were left with too much to chase.