Rashid masterminds stunning Windies collapse

Rashid Khan destroyed the Windies batting line-up with exceptional figures of 7 for 18, bowling Afghanistan to a stunning 63-run victory in the opening game of a three-match One-Day International series at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St Lucia on Friday.

After Javed Ahmadi’s 81 laid the foundation for the visitor's 212 for 6 batting first, Rashid’s leg-spin tore through the home batting line-up. The fourth-best bowling figures in an ODI sent the Caribbeans packing for 149 off 44.4 overs, helping Afghanistan take a 1-0 lead ahead of the second match at the same venue on Sunday.

Surprisingly brought on only as the sixth bowler by Asghar Stanikzai with Windies 68 for 2 after 22 overs, Afghanistan's premier bowler made an instant impact, removing Jason Mohammed and Roston Chase, the debutant, with his first two deliveries. He then repeated the feat at the start of his second over, prising out Shai Hope (35), the top-scorer, and Jason Holder, the captain.

At that point, he had taken 4 for 1 and he added the scalp of Ashley Nurse shortly after to have the host reeling at 90 for 7.

Jonathan Carter and Alzarri Joseph added 45 for the eighth wicket before Gulbadin Naib had Carter caught on the mid-wicket boundary, paving the way for Rashid to return to finish off the match with the wickets of Joseph and Miguel Cummins in quick succession.

Earlier, the Afghans were struggling to get any momentum in their innings despite Ahmadi's effort, which equalled his previous best in ODIs.

The opener never dominated the bowling and when he eventually departed in the 37th over with the score at 131 for 5, Afghanistan was desperately in need of acceleration. His innings spanned 102 deliveries and included two sixes and eight fours.

Earlier, the Afghans were struggling to get any momentum in their innings despite Ahmadi's effort, which equalled his previous best in ODIs.

The opener never dominated the bowling and when he eventually departed in the 37th over with the score at 131 for 5, Afghanistan was desperately in need of acceleration. His innings spanned 102 deliveries and included two sixes and eight fours.

That much-needed urgency was finally injected into the innings with the arrival of Naib, who smashed an unbeaten 41 off 28 deliveries, dominating an unbroken seventh-wicket partnership of 58 with Mohammad Nabi (27 not out).

Holder was the main sufferer, conceding 36 runs off his last three overs. In an attack dominated by pacers, Nurse emerged as the most successful of the Windies bowlers, taking 2 for 34 with his off-spin in his 10-over allotment.