DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CMC) — Darwish Rasooli starred with the bat for the second-straight match, while off spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman bamboozled West Indies’ batsmen as Afghanistan sealed the Twenty20 International series with a comfortable 39-run win on Wednesday.

Similarly to Sunday’s opening match, West Indies started positively but were again undone by a third wicket partnership — this time from Rasooli, who made 68 and Sediqullah Atal, who scored 53 — along with poor fielding, as Afghanistan recovered to post a daunting 189 for four in their 20 overs at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

West Indies were briefly in the chase during a 68-run stand between captain Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer, but once they were dismissed the regional side faded away and were eventually bowled out for 150 in 18.5 overs.

The win gave Afghanistan, who are ranked four places below the sixth ranked Windies in the ICC T20I rankings, an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series, with the final game slated to be played on Thursday.

A slow start and the loss of three early wickets on Wednesday put West Indies under immense pressure in their search for a series-levelling win.

Alick Athanaze made eight off 12 balls before he was run out by a direct throw from Zadran at mid on, and Ur Rahman accounted for the wickets of Evin Lewis for 13 and Johnson Charles for a first ball duck, in successive deliveries, to make the score 38 for three after eight overs.

Hetmyer gave the Windies an outside chance of victory in a pulsating knock of 46 off just 17 deliveries, as he and King tried to rebuild the innings.

He hit spinner Noor Ahmad for three sixes in the 10th over before King deposited Rashid Khan over the boundary ropes for two more in the ensuing over.

Hetmyer then clobbered Nabi for two sixes and followed up by thumping Ahmad for a six and four to end the 13th over, which carried the Windies to 99 for three.

But just as the two looked set to change the complexion of the match, Fazalhaq Farooqi had Hetmyer caught on the cover boundary to break the partnership.

King recovered from a slow start to reach his half- century, but he holed out at long after scoring 50 off 42 balls to see the Windies slide to 122 for five.

The end came swiftly after that, with the last five wickets adding just 28 runs.