The West Indies (WI) thrashed Afghanistan beating them by over 104 runs to end the ICC T20 World Cup group stage at the top on Monday (June 17), at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium in Saint Lucia.

Put into bat, the early second over wicket of Brandon King (7) could not stop the night of record-breaking as the Windies obliterated Afghanistan’s bowling attack.

Wicket-keeper batsman Nicholas Pooran (98) and Saint Lucian Johnson Charles (43) managed an 80 run partnership and pushed the Windies into breaking the ICC T20 power play record (92 in the first 6 overs) thanks to an explosive fourth over from Pooran who managed a 36-run over off Azmatullah Omarzai (1-41).

Pooran went on to score the highest innings of any player in the T20 World Cup 2024 so far and surpassed retired Chris Gayle’s records for most sixes in T20I cricket as well as became the first West Indies player to score over 2000 runs in their T20I career (2012).

The innings was also West Indies’ highest run tally in the T20 format (218/5) and the highest score of the tournament so far.

During the second half of the innings, the Windies bowling attack continued the pressure as Akeal Hosein (2-21), Gudakesh Motie (2-28), and Obed McCoy (3-14) left no room for an Afghanistan counterattack.

The early dismissal of AFG wicket-keeper batsman and opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (0) and Ibrahim Zadran (38) was enough of a sign of things to come as AFG failed to build the momentum for a comeback.

AFG ended their innings at 114.

With Pooran and Charles now seemingly joining the bowling attack’s top form, West Indies finally look like they’re aiming for their third World Cup trophy.

The West Indies play their next game in the Super Eight on Wednesday, June 19, against England.

READ: Windies advance to T20 ‘Super Eight’ with 16-run win over New Zealand