Watch: Mohammad Nabi destroys Dunith Wellalage with 5 brutal sixes in 1 over

Afghanistan might have suffered a crushing six-wicket defeat against Sri Lanka in the final Group B match on Thursday, September 18, but Mohammad Nabi managed to steal the show with his hitting at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

With this dominating victory, Sri Lanka advanced to the Super-4 stage in the Asia Cup 2025, while Afghanistan was eliminated from the tournament, as Bangladesh also moved to the next round. The match saw a series of enthralling moments, including Kusal Perera's excellent flying catch at the boundary, Rashid Khan’s no-look six, and then his DRS call after being bowled out.

Mohammad Nabi’s fireworks light up Asia Cup 2025 despite Afghanistan’s painful exit

But Mohammad Nabi's five consecutive sixes against Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Dunith Wellalage was the major highlight of the Afghanistan-Sri Lanka match in Abu Dhabi. Nabi smoked those sixes in the 20th over.

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The over went for 32 runs, which included a single and an extra from a no-ball. Dunith Wellalage’s 32-run over has gone down in the record books as one of Sri Lanka’s most expensive overs in T20I history.

Wellalage’s spell is now the second-most expensive over ever bowled by a Sri Lankan in the format, just behind Akila Dananjaya’s 36-run over against the West Indies in 2021.

Mohammad Nabi stuns Dunith Wellalage with a ruthless power show

It all started when Dunith Wellalage missed his line, and Nabi made no mistake. The Afghanistan all-rounder struck the ball clean and hard straight down the ground, sending it sailing over long-off for a huge six on the very first delivery of the 20th over in Abu Dhabi.

This forced Wellalage to slow it down, but Nabi was ready and got underneath the ball and launched it high into the night sky, clearing the deep mid-wicket boundary with ease for another massive six. Then, the Sri Lankan spinner delivered the delivery at 101.5 kmph, but it landed right in Nabi’s hitting zone. With perfect timing, Nabi cleared his front leg and launched the ball straight down to the ground.

Read Also: Watch- Dunith Wellalage informed of father’s sudden death during SL vs AFG match; player inconsolable

It went for a massive 88 meters before crashing into the stands. The fourth ball of the over was a free hit, on which Nabi smashed it over wide long-off for another six. The bowler pushed it wide again, and Nabi swung hard and sent the ball flying towards cow corner for another powerful six.

6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣6️⃣

- 5 sixes in an over by a 40 year old Mohammad Nabi in Asia Cup 2025. 🤯pic.twitter.com/U5cnY0mr3y

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 18, 2025

Mohammad Nabi’s record-breaking blitz ends with a dramatic run-out

But Nabi’s blazing knock came to an end dramatically. On the last ball of the final over, Dunith Wellalage finally managed to bowl one close to a yorker, which Nabi squeezed towards deep backward point. He pushed hard for a second run, but the throw came in quickly.

Kusal Perera’s sharp fielding and Kusal Mendis’s quick flick onto the stumps caught Nabi well short of his crease. Nabi walked back after scoring a stunning 60 runs from just 22 balls, with 3 fours and 6 huge sixes. He smashed a fifty in just 20 balls, equalling the record for the fastest half-century by an Afghan in T20Is.

Earlier in the Asia Cup 2025, Azmatullah Omarzai had also hit a 20-ball fifty against Hong Kong. Nabi already has another quick fifty to his name as well, which came in 21 balls against Ireland.