Afghanistan triumph over PNG to reach Super Eight in T20 World Cup

Afghanistan defeated Papua New Guinea by seven wickets in Trinidad on Thursday to reach the Super Eight stages of the Twenty20 World Cup with a match to spare and end New Zealand’s slim hopes of progressing. Led by Fazalhaq Farooqi (3-16), the Afghan bowlers restricted their opponents to double-digit scores for the third time in three matches in the tournament, dismissing the scoreless Papuans for 95.

Penetrating bowling from Alei Nao and Semo Kamea on a lively surface ensured the chase was not easy, but Gulbadin Naib’s 49 from 36 deliveries steered the Afghans safely to their target at 101-3 inside 16 overs. Afghan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and elected to bowl and although Farooqi quickly made his mark with two wickets in his first over, PNG skipper Assad Vala set the tone for his team’s innings with the first of four runs- outs.

The Afghans advanced from Group C to face co-hosts West Indies, who they meet in their final round-robin match in St Lucia on Monday.

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