After a brilliant bowling display that saw their opponents bowled for a meagre 95 runs, Afghanistan’s incredible odyssey continued with a convincing win over Papua New Guinea. Then, with 29 deliveries remaining and seven wickets in hand, Afghanistan easily reached the mark. In addition to securing their third group stage victory, this victory guaranteed them a spot in the Super Eight, an accomplishment they had only twice before (in 2016 and 2021).
Afghanistan’s captain, Rashid Khan, was obviously overjoyed during the post-match presentation ceremony despite going without a wicket and being economical with 0/25 in his four overs. He expressed his utter delight with the team’s advancement to the following round. Rashid enthusiastically congratulated his teammates, emphasising their teamwork and role-playing excellence that led to a smooth victory.
He also praised Rahmanullah Gurbaz, the opening batsman, who, although only managing 11 runs in the PNG game, is now averaging a strike rate of 154.62 and leads the run-scorer list with an outstanding 167 runs. Rashid also praised Fazalhaq Farooqi, a left-arm bowler who leads the way in wicket-taking with 12 wickets at an economy rate of 3.70, for his superb performance and aggressive bowling style.
“I feel really good about moving on to the next round. The boys have put out a fantastic effort since the first game. They know what needs to be done and have done it flawlessly, which has made my life easier. “Having someone like him, like Farooqi who takes wickets in the powerplay or Gurbaz who goes out and takes on the bowling, is important,” Rashid Khan said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
Also read: T20 World Cup 2024: Papua New Guinea vs Afghanistan, 29th Match – Who Said What?
Afghanistan and the West Indies have both won all three of their Group C matches, hence it has been decided that they will move on to the next round. Thus, this result means that, even with two games left, New Zealand’s chances of going any farther are gone.
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