2019 World Cup: West Indies defeat Afghanistan by 23 runs, powered by standout performances from Carlos Brathwaite and Shai Hope

The West Indies managed to secure a 23-run win over Afghanistan in a battle of the tournament's underperformers. While Afghanistan played their best cricket of the World Cup in this final outing, the West Indies' experience proved decisive. This win provides little comfort for the West Indies, who began the tournament with high hopes but end up leaving with only two victories from nine outings. After batting first, the West Indies posted 311 for six, with Hope, Lewis, and Pooran all scoring fifties. Afghanistan's chase started strongly, with Rahmat Shah and Ikram Alikhil putting on 133 runs, but they eventually collapsed to 288 as the bowling attack tightened.

To prevent a shocking upset that seemed almost certain, Kemar Roach (3/37) and Carlos Brathwaite (4/63) stepped up and delivered critical wickets at the perfect moments.

Rahmat, the right-handed batter, played with a certain elegance, consistently finding the gaps in the field with impressive precision.

It was thrilling to watch his aggressive 'chip-and-charge' approach and his ability to drive the ball on the rise. He showed no fear against the fast bowlers, often leaping into the air while executing square cuts.

Afghanistan seemed to be in total control at 189/2, but the momentum shifted when the veteran Chris Gayle dismissed Alikhil. Although Ashghar Afghan (40) and Najibullah Zadran (31) contributed decent scores, they couldn't keep the chase alive.