Afghanistan have chosen to field in Dubai, hoping to wrap up this T20I series 3-0. They already lead 2-0, so today is about fine-tuning more than survival. Three fresh faces arrive: all-rounder Shahidullah Kamal, quick Ziaur Rahman Sharfi and seamer Abdollah Ahmadzai slot in for Azmatullah Omarzai, Noor Ahmad and Fazalhaq Farooqi.
West Indies, for their part, change things up too. Keacy Carty and Justin Greaves replace Alick Athanaze and Evin Lewis, while Quentin Sampson keeps his spot after a fairly steady debut. Shamar Springer takes the new ball duties from Shamar Joseph. Spin remains the responsibility of left-armers Gudakesh Motie and Khary Pierre—both looking to show they can control the middle overs in Indian and Sri Lankan conditions.
Selectors are watching closely. The Caribbean squad for the February T20 World Cup is still open and, as one coach put it earlier in the week, “performances now are worth double”. A couple of boundaries or a tight powerplay spell here could nudge a fringe player into the travelling party.
This match is Afghanistan’s final hit-out before the World Cup. West Indies still have three T20Is in South Africa, so they’ve a touch more runway. Even so, no-one wants to head for Johannesburg on the back of a 3-0 scoreline.
Teams
West Indies: Brandon King (capt), Johnson Charles (wk), Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shimron Hetmyer, Quentin Sampson, Matthew Forde, Gudakesh Motie, Khary Pierre, Shamar Springer, Ramon Simmonds
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Mohammad Nabi, Shahidullah Kamal, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (capt), Ziaur Rahman Sharfi, Abdollah Ahmadzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
