Afghanistan on Friday confirmed their spot as the second team of Group C in the Super Eight of T20 World Cup. The Afghans won the third match on the trot when they defeated Papua New Guinea by seven wickets to seal Super Eight berth. Afghanistan’s win also resulted in Kane Williamson’s New Zealand being knocked out of the T20 World Cup.
Clinical bowling performance from Afghanistan
Afghanistan needed a win to qualify for the Super Eight spot. Rashid Khan won the toss and put PNG to bat first. Fazalhaq Farooqi had another memorable outing with the ball as he picked up three wickets with Naveen-Ul-Haq getting two wickets in his kitty. Four run-outs in the innings ensured PNG were bowled out for 95.
Gulbadin Naib steps up
Chasing 96 runs, Afghanistan lost their openers early. However, Gulbadin Naib stood strong in the middle and played an unbeaten innings of 49 runs while Mohammad Nabi remained not out on 16 to ensure Afghanistan reached the target with over 4 overs to spare.
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Afghans on top of Group C
The win put Afghanistan on top of the Group C table courtesy of a better net run-rate than West Indies who have also won three matches. Afghanistan look like well-oiled team with each player clear about what the team demands from them. It remains to be seen if they display the same form in the Super Eight stage.
