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Nabi smacked Wellalage for five sixes in the first five balls of the 20th over of Afghanistan’s innings.
Mohammad Nabi hits Dunith Wellalage for 5 sixes in a row. (Picture Credit: AP)
Mohammad Nabi played one of the best T20I knocks of all time on Thursday, September 18, to help Afghanistan post a total of 169/8 against Sri Lanka. In the Asia Cup 2025 match taking place at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi, Nabi, who is Afghanistan’s highest run-getter in T20Is, hammered Sri Lanka’s spin-bowling all-rounder Dunith Wellalage for five sixes in a row.
The incident took place in the final over of Afghanistan’s innings. Nabi smacked Wellalage for five sixes in the first five balls.
Nabi faced a total of 22 balls during his stay at the crease on Thursday and, with the help of three fours and six sixes, scored 60 runs.
He added 55 runs from just 18 balls for the eighth wicket with Noor Ahmed (6 from 4).
In addition to conceding five sixes, Wellalage also bowled one no ball and on the last ball, he conceded one run.
Nabi, who also became the first cricketer to score 6000 runs in international cricket for Afghanistan on Thursday, crossed the 50-run mark in just 20 balls. The half-century in 20 balls helped Nabi equal the record of scoring the joint fastest 50 in T20Is for Afghanistan.
Fastest T20I fifties for Afghanistan (by balls faced)
| PLAYER | BALLS | AGAINST | VENUE | YEAR |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 20 | Hong Kong | Abu Dhabi | 2025 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 20 | Sri Lanka | Abu Dhabi | 2025 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 21 | Ireland | Greater Noida | 2017 |
| Gulbadin Naib | 21 | India | Bengaluru | 2024 |
For Sri Lanka, fast bowler Nuwan Thushara picked up four wickets for 18 runs in four overs. The figures of 4/18 by Thushara helped him break Lasith Malinga’s record of best bowling figures for Sri Lanka in Asia Cup T20Is. During the Sri Lanka-UAE Asia Cup 2016 match played in Mirpur on February 25, 2016, Malinga dismissed four UAE batters for 26 runs in four overs.
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE)
September 18, 2025, 21:57 IST
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