Afghanistan registered an 82-run win in match No. 39 of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Thursday, February 19.

Canada won the toss and opted to bowl first. Afghan openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran got the team off to a solid start with a 47-run partnership inside the powerplay. Gulbadin Naib was also dismissed in the sixth over of the match.

However, Ibrahim Zadran and Sediqullah Atal stitched a wonderful 95-run stand off 59 balls to lay a solid foundation. The latter was dismissed in the 16th over for a 32-ball 44.

Zadran, however, carried his bat and finished with a stunning 95 not out off 56 balls.

Chasing a 201-run target, the Canadian openers added 25 runs inside three overs before skipper Dilpreet Bajwa was dismissed. Wickets fell at regular intervals from that point onwards as Canada lost half their side with only 48 runs on the board in nine overs.

Saad Bin Zafar and Harsh Thaker added a 53-run stand off 37 balls for the sixth over to delay the inevitable. The Afghan bowlers were excellent with their lines and lengths, and they made run-scoring very difficult for the Canadian batters.

In the end, Canada were restricted to 118/8.

Top batting performance: Ibrahim Zadran

Ibrahim Zadran got to his half-century in 34 balls. He accelerated after getting to the landmark, amassing 45 off the last 22 balls he faced. The right-handed batter hit seven fours and five sixes during his remarkable knock, finishing with a strike rate of 169.64.

Top bowling performance: Mohammad Nabi

The experienced campaigner bowled a magical spell on Thursday and finished with mind-boggling figures of 4/7 in four overs. Mohammad Nabi's control and subtle variations bamboozled the Canadian batters.

The 41-year-old had bowled only three overs in the first three matches but showed his class in the Blue Tigers' last encounter in the campaign.

Records Broken and Major Milestones Achieved

• This ranks fourth on the list of biggest wins for Afghanistan in T20 World Cups by runs. They won by 82 runs on Thursday.
• Mohammad Nabi now has the third-best figures for Afghanistan in T20 World Cups.
• Ibrahim Zadran recorded the highest individual score for Afghanistan in T20 World Cups.
• 200/4 is also the highest total for Afghanistan in the tournament's history.

Who was the Player of match?

It must have been a tough choice picking one from Ibrahim Zadran and Mohammad Nabi for the Player of the Match award.

However, it was the former who got selected for his fantastic knock, which helped Afghanistan post a massive first-innings total.

When is the next match?

Both Afghanistan and Canada have failed to progress to the Super 8 phase of the tournament.

They will bid farewell to the marquee event but look to learn from the mistakes they made and bounce back strongly in their future assignments.