Afghanistan became the fifth team to qualify for the Super Eight quarter-finals of the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup after left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi and all-rounder Gulbadin Naib played leading roles in a seven-wicket win against Papua New Guinea on Thursday in Trinidad.
Farooqi, 23, delivered a stellar performance, bagging three for 16 from his allotted four overs, increasing his tally to a tournament-leading 12 wickets. His efforts helped Afghanistan bowl out Papua New Guinea for a modest 95 in 19.5 overs in their Group C match under the lights at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy.
Afghanistan stumbled early in their chase, reaching 39 for two by the close of the Power Play. However, Naib steadied the innings with an unbeaten 49 off 36 balls, guiding his team to a total of 101 for three, sealing the win with 29 balls remaining.
Afghanistan’s third consecutive win
This victory marked Afghanistan’s third consecutive win in the tournament, securing their qualification from Group C along with co-hosts West Indies. They join favorites India, reigning champions Australia, and title hopefuls South Africa in the Super Eight.
“It’s nice to have won [this match] and got qualification out of the way,” Afghanistan coach Jonathan Trott, the former England batsman, said. “To come to a World Cup and win three straight is a nice feeling, but there’s also the realization and reality that we haven’t won anything yet. We only achieved the group stage, and we’ve got some important matches coming up that we’re going to have to play well in.”
The result ensured that New Zealand, who reached the semi-finals in each of the last three T20 World Cups and were runners-up three years ago, will not progress to the second stage of the tournament. Afghanistan’s victory over New Zealand by 84 runs last Friday at the Guyana National Stadium, followed by West Indies’ 13-run win against them on Wednesday at the BLCA, confirmed the Black Caps’ early exit.
More than just a battle for bragging rights
With tournament organizers using a unique predetermined seeding system for the Super Eight fixtures, the final Group C match between Afghanistan and West Indies on Monday at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia is expected to be more than just a battle for bragging rights.
“We still have one game left, an important group game, and that’s going to be a good gauge of where we are against a powerful West Indies side, who won an incredible game [on Wednesday] from the position they were in,” Trott added.
The loss was the third consecutive defeat for Papua New Guinea. West Indies previously beat them by five wickets at the Guyana National Stadium, and Uganda edged them out by three wickets in a low-scoring contest. This latest defeat means Papua New Guinea is also eliminated ahead of their final match against New Zealand on Monday morning at the BLCA.
