| 0.0 : TOSS - The coin toss lands in the favour of Afghanistan and they have opted to BOWL first. |
| Afghanistan (Unchanged Playing XI) - Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan (C), Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi. |
| Papua New Guinea (Playing XI) - Tony Ura, Assad Vala (C), Lega Siaka, Sese Bau, Hiri Hiri, Chad Soper, Kipling Doriga (WK), Norman Vanua, Alei Nao, John Kariko, Semo Kamea (In for Charles Amini). |
| Rashid Khan, the skipper of Afghanistan wins the toss and elects to BOWL first. Says they want to see how the wicket will behave here and they have watched the previous game and that there was a lot of dew as well. Adds it rained heavily and didn't allow them to practice much. Says each game is very important and they are taking each game seriously and ends up informing they are going with the same side. |
| The captain of Papua New Guinea, Assad Vala says that he watched the last game played at this venue where the wicket was up and down. Feels that spending time out in the middle will be key for the batters. Shares that they took a few days off and returned to training three days ago. Hopes that his side can put the learnings from the first couple of games into this clash. Ends by informing that they have made one change based on the conditions with Semo Kamea coming in for Charles Amini. |
| PITCH REPORT - Simon Doull and Daren Ganga are at the 22 yards. Simon Doull starts and says that the weather is quite better and it is breezy, gusting south-easterly blowing towards the shorter side. Says it is 65 meters and 67 meters on squares and it is 70 meters hit down the ground. Daren Ganga joins and says that along the cracks, the density of the grass has increased and it will get a little more variable pace and bounce from it. Also adds that from what they saw in the previous game play |
| Norman Vanua is in for a flash interview. He says that it is an honour to represent Papua New Guinea and be the leading wicket-taker. States that it is always a good game against Afghanistan and that they have played them in a few T20Is and four-day matches and they are a tough team to beat. Feels that they need to play their best game and follow the processes. Shares that cricket has come a long way in Papua New Guinea and the facilities have improved. Adds that the grounds have gotten better a |
| We are just a few moments away from the start of the match. But before that, the two set of players are getting lined up followed by the match officials for their respective national anthems. It will be Papua New Guinea's first, followed by the national anthem of Afghanistan. |
| Done with the pre-match formalities and it is now time for the real action to get underway at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba. The two Umpires are already out in the middle and the players of Afghanistan are scattering throughout the field and taking their respective positions. Assad Vala and Tony Ura are the openers for Papua New Guinea with the latter taking the guard. Fazalhaq Farooqi has the new ball and is all in readiness to bowl the first over of the game for Afghanistan. And, |
| 0.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Charges in from over the wicket and gets the yorker right in first up, in search of swing, around off, Tony Ura digs it out off the toe-end of the bat towards cover. Ura wants a single but gets sent back by his partner. |
| 0.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, On target again is Fazalhaq Farooqi but Papua New Guinea have their first runs. Shaping in, full and attacking the stumps, on middle and leg, Tony Ura uses the swing well and clips it through square leg for a couple of runs. |
| 0.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Drags the length back and angles it across the batter, outside off, Tony Ura sways away from the line of the ball and lets the ball go through to the keeper. |
| 0.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, No run. |
| 0.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Hits the hard length, on middle, Tony Ura hops back and stabs it down the deck with a straight bat. |
| 0.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Pitches it right up to the batter and offers a bit of width on off, Tony Ura frees his arms and cracks the drive along the carpet to deep backward point for a single. A quiet first over from Farooqi. |
| Spin early on as the 'Professor' Mohammad Nabi will bowl the second over. |
| 1.1 : Mohammad Nabi to Tony Ura, FOUR! Tony Ura with the first boundary for Papua New Guinea. Gets the ball to drift away does Nabi, on a nagging length, outside off, Tony Ura rocks back and cuts it nicely through cover-point for a boundary. |
| 1.2 : Mohammad Nabi to Tony Ura, Direct hit and Tony Ura was gone there. Slows it up nicely and bowls it shorter as well, on off and middle, Tony Ura shapes up to go big on the off side but the ball grips in the surface and takes off a bit as well. Ura inside edges it wide of mid-wicket and the batters steal a quick single. |
| 1.3 : Mohammad Nabi to Assad Vala, 1 run. |
| 1.4 : Mohammad Nabi to Tony Ura, Utter confusion but Papua New Guinea get away with it. |
| Is that out? A bit of a lazy running there from the PNG's skipper Assad Vala. |
| 1.5 : Mohammad Nabi to Assad Vala, OUT! RUN OUT! Casual running from the Papua New Guinea skipper and he pays the ultimate price. |
| 1.6 : Mohammad Nabi to Tony Ura, No run. |
| 1.5 : Lega Siaka is in at number 3. |
| 2.1 : Who walks in next to bat? |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi to Lega Siaka, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Rahmanullah Gurbaz in the thick of action again! A golden duck for Lega Siaka. |
| 2.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Sese Bau, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Two in two for Fazalhaq Farooqi! Papua New Guinea have been rocked early. |
| Hiri Hiri is in at number 5 for PNG and will face Fazalhaq Farooqi who is on a Hat Trick. |
| 2.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Hiri Hiri, FOUR LEG BYES! Farooqi tries a bit too hard on the hat-trick ball and gets it wrong. |
| 2.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Hiri Hiri, 1 run. |
| 2.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, No run. |
| 2.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Dishes it out on a fullish length, shaping in, on off, Tony Ura jams it out safely to the off side. |
| Naveen-ul-Haq replaces Mohammad Nabi. |
| 3.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Hiri Hiri, OUT! b Naveen-ul-Haq. |
| 0.0 : Chad Soper is in at number 6. |
| 3.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Swinging in sharply back into the right-hander from over the wicket, on a length, on off, Chad Soper covers the line of the ball and just about manages to keep it out. |
| 3.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Wide! |
| Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Goes back to bowling full and in the channel on off, Chad Soper stays leg side of the ball and dabs it square to backward point without much foot movement. |
| 3.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Goes wide of the crease on the over-the-wicket angle and slants it back in, attacking the stumps, fuller in length, Chad Soper gets right behind the line of the ball and blocks it out. |
| 3.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Pulls the length back and aims it around the off-stump, Chad Soper hangs back in his crease and pushes it along the ground to point. |
| 3.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Play and a miss to end the over! Hurls it in the corridor of off, on a good length and it nips away off the deck. Chad Soper fiddles at the delivery away from his body and gets beaten on the outside edge. |
| 4.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, FIVE WIDES! Wayward from Fazalhaq Farooqi. At 129 kph from around the wicket but strays it way down leg, on a back of a length, Tony Ura lets it go. The ball keeps going away from the keeper, Rahmanullah Gurbaz who flings himself to his left but fails to cut it off. |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, No run. |
| 4.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Leg bye! Slides on the pads, on a nagging length, Tony Ura fails to tickle it fine with the angle. The ball rolls off his pads on the leg side and the batters scamper across for a leg bye. |
| 4.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Chad Soper, Farooqi switches his angle as he comes from over the wicket and angles it across the right-hander, fuller and around off, Chad Soper goes for the drive but the bat turns in his hand on contact and he miscues the shot to mid on. |
| 4.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Chad Soper, 1 run. |
| 4.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, Two leg byes! Fazalhaq Farooqi has been off with his lines this over and seems to be trying a bit too much, instead of keeping it simple. Too straight, on the pads, on a short of a good length, it comes off Ura's pads and dribbles wide of fine leg for a couple of runs. |
| 4.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Tony Ura, More like it by Farooqi! |
| 5.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Tony Ura, Indecision in the running again! That would have been curtains for Tony Ura had it hit the stumps at the non-striker's end. Good length on offer, on off, Tony Ura hops on the back foot and dabs it solidly towards point. He first hesitates but eventually sets off for a quick single. Mohammad Nabi picks the ball quickly and hits Tony Ura's right leg who hurries to reach home. Survives a scare. |
| 5.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 5.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Chad Soper, Slower on on a good length, angling into the batter, Chad Soper tucks it to the leg side for a single. |
| 5.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Tony Ura, OUT! BOWLED'EM! 50th T20I wicket for Naveen-ul-Haq! And PNG lose half of their side now. |
| Kipling Doriga is the new man in. |
| 5.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Kipling Doriga, Angling into the batter again on a length, Kipling Doriga misses to flick it and gets a thud on the front thigh pad. |
| 5.6 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Kipling Doriga, Fuller in length, and angling on the middle and off channel, Kipling Doriga pushes it to mid on. End of the mandatory Powerplay and Afghanistan are right on the top of the game. |
| 6.1 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 6.2 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, Oh, extra turn! Pitches it full and on off, turns it away sharply. Chad Soper gets beaten on the outside edge. |
| 6.3 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, FIVE WIDES! Sloppy from the bowler and the keeper as well. Dishes out the googly that turns down the leg side after pitching on middle and leg, Chad Soper misses to tuck it and the ball even evades Rahmanullah Gurbaz and guns down to deep fine. |
| Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 6.4 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 6.5 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 6.6 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, Another wrong'un turning on from off on a length, Chad Soper rocks back and nudges it along the ground in between mid on and mid-wicket for a quick single to end the over. |
| 7.1 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, 1 run. |
| 7.2 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, No run. |
| 7.5 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, Tosses it up, full and around leg, Chad Soper uses his feet and works it to wide long on for a single. |
| 7.3 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, Leg bye. |
| 7.4 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, Another appeal for LBW but Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the only one who looks interested. Good length, pitching outside leg, and turning across the right hander, Soper looks to flick it to square leg but is beaten on the inside edge. |
| 7.6 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, Loops it up again, on off, Kipling Doriga gets a good stride in and smothers the spin well as he blocks it out. |
| 8.1 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, Good length, coming in quickly on the pads, Chad Soper tucks it through square leg for a quick single. |
| 8.2 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, Fuller in length on the middle, Kipling Doriga goes for a drive through the covers but inside edges it behind square for a couple of runs on the leg side. |
| 8.3 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, On the length, a googly onto the pads, Kipling Doriga tucks it across towards mid-wicket for a single. |
| 8.4 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 8.5 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, Another googly on the middle, Chad Soper gets ahead for a defensive stroke but inside edges it towards deep backward square leg for a brace. |
| 8.6 : Rashid Khan to Chad Soper, Wrong'un, short and on middle, Chad Soper goes deep in the crease and punches it towards the right of the bowler and runs a quick single to end the over. |
| 9.1 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, No run. |
| 9.2 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, Full and just on off. Chad Soper defends it out. |
| 9.3 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, Lands it on the middle, fuller in length again, Chad Soper takes a stride out and blocks it underneath the bat. |
| 9.4 : Noor Ahmad to Chad Soper, OUT! RUN OUT! Massive miscommunication between the two batters and PNG are in an absolute nightmare here! |
| 9.5 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, 2 runs. |
| 0.0 : Norman Vanua comes in at number 8. |
| 9.6 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, No run. |
| 0.0 : Drinks break! Afghanistan are in complete charge of the proceedings here. Just as a good little partnership was building for Papua New Guinea, they have been pegged back with the run out of Chad Soper. With not much batting left to come, it will be important for the two batters out there in the middle to take it deep. Afghan spinners have not been at their best but will look to step up and wrap up the innings quickly. |
| 10.1 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, No run. |
| 10.2 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, No run. |
| 10.3 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, This is around the off-stump line, on a short of a good length, Norman Vanua hops back and blocks it out with a straight bat to the left of the bowler. |
| 10.4 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, Bends his back and digs it in short, over off and middle, Norman Vanua tries to fetch the pull from over his head but misses as the ball sails over his bat. |
| 10.5 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, No run. |
| 10.6 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, A maiden to start with from Omarzai. Hurls it in on a back of a length, outside off, Norman Vanua has a feel for the delivery away from his body as the ball zips past the bat. Rahmanullah Gurbaz goes up in appeal but he is the only one who looks interested. |
| Karim Janat is introduced into the attack now. |
| 11.1 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, Beats the bat straight away! Bowls it in the channel on off, on a length, Kipling Doriga has a waft at it but connects with thin air. |
| 11.2 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, No run. |
| 11.3 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, Pitches it up, full and on middle, Kipling Doriga firms the drive with a straight bat to mid on. |
| 11.4 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, Angling in, short of a good length, on middle and leg, Kipling Doriga closes the bat face early as he looks to work it away on the leg side. Gets a leading edge that lobs in front of cover. |
| 11.5 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, Goes straight up but it lands safely! |
| 11.6 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, Oh, that kept low! Bowls it on a short of a length, outside off, Kipling Doriga stays leg side of the ball and pushes at it but the ball does not rise at all and scoots under the bat. |
| Is that a run out? |
| 12.1 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Norman Vanua, OUT! RUN OUT! Oh, no! So unfortunate for Norman Vanua and Papua New Guinea. |
| Alei Nao is in at number 9. |
| 12.2 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Kipling Doriga, 1 run. |
| 12.3 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Alei Nao, No run. |
| 12.4 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Alei Nao, FOUR! Nicely done by Nao! Azmatullah Omarzai angles it on the leg stump line, on a fuller length, Alei Nao clips it with soft hands towards deep fine for a boundary. |
| 12.5 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Alei Nao, Beaten! On a length, just outside off. Alei Nao goes fishing at it but gets beaten. |
| 12.6 : Azmatullah Omarzai to Alei Nao, Big swing and a miss! Omarzai goes into the wicket, around off, Alei Nao clears his front leg and has a swipe across the line. The ball sneaks under the bat and zips past the off pole. |
| 13.1 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, WIDE! Dishes it out on a fullish length but it goes beyond the tramline on off, Kipling Doriga reaches out for the drive but fails to get any bat on it. |
| Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, FOUR LEG BYES! More runs for Papua New Guinea. |
| 13.2 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, 1 run. |
| 13.3 : Karim Janat to Alei Nao, A bit slower and fuller, on middle, Alei Nao gets behind the line and defends it with a straight bat. |
| 13.4 : Karim Janat to Alei Nao, Very full and slanting in, on middle, Alei Nao swings to drill it back past the bowler but gets an outside edge that goes down to deep third for a run. |
| 13.5 : Karim Janat to Kipling Doriga, 1 run. |
| 13.6 : Karim Janat to Alei Nao, FOUR! Good strike to end the most productive over of the innings for PNG. 12 runs off it. Janat errs in length as this is too full, on middle, Alei Nao clears his front leg and swings through the line to smack it past the bowler and to the left of mid on for a boundary. |
| 14.1 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, Tosses it up, full and turning away, on middle, Kipling Doriga goes for the sweep but gets a top edge that lands safely to the left of deep square leg for a couple of runs. |
| 14.2 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, 1 run. |
| 14.3 : Rashid Khan to Alei Nao, Oh, just missed the off-stump! Bowls it on a length and gives the ball a bit of air, on off, Alei Nao sits for the sweep but misses as a bit of extra bounce results in the ball going over the bat. |
| 14.4 : Rashid Khan to Alei Nao, Dishes out a googly, full and on middle, Alei Nao backs away and hacks it to long on for one. |
| 14.5 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, FOUR! Nicely hit! |
| 14.6 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, 1 run. |
| 0.0 : Noor Ahmad (2-0-4-0) is back. |
| 15.2 : Noor Ahmad to Alei Nao, Good length, outside off, Alei Nao looks for a cut shot and opts out eventually. |
| 15.3 : Noor Ahmad to Alei Nao, No run. |
| 15.1 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, Full and on the middle and leg, Kipling Doriga strides out and the ball clips off his pads towards square leg. The two sneak in a leg bye and the fielder at square leg hits bull's eye at the non-striker's end but Doriga is well inside as the replays confirm. |
| 0.0 : Is that out? |
| 15.5 : Noor Ahmad to Alei Nao, Around the wicket, full and tossed up on middle and leg, Alei Nao drives it down the ground for one. |
| 15.4 : Noor Ahmad to Alei Nao, A wrong'un that deceives the willow's edge, full and outside off, Alei Nao looks to slog it down the ground but misses. Rahmanullah Gurbaz collects it cleanly behind the wickets and flashes off the bails in the blink of an eye. The off-side replay shows that Alei Nao's feet is grounded when the stumps are broken. Not Out then. |
| 15.6 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, Touch fuller and it is outside off, Kipling Doriga pats it in front of cover-point for a quick single. |
| 16.1 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, Drops it full and on the middle, closer to the body, Kipling Doriga sits on the knee and sweeps it with no real timing towards deep backward square leg for a single. |
| 16.2 : Rashid Khan to Alei Nao, In the air...but safe! Floats it up, full and on the middle again, Alei Nao clears his front leg and mistimes it up in the air off the toe end, and the ball lands behind mid on for a single. |
| 16.3 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, A googly on the pads, Kipling Doriga rocks back but the ball pings his back thigh pad. |
| 16.4 : Rashid Khan to Kipling Doriga, 1 run. |
| 16.5 : Rashid Khan to Alei Nao, No run. |
| 16.6 : Rashid Khan to Alei Nao, Drags his length this time, outside off, Alei Nao mistimes the shot back to Rashid Khan. |
| 17.1 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, Provides some revs on the ball, and drops it outside off, on a length, Kipling Doriga rocks back and punches it towards deep point for one. |
| 17.2 : Noor Ahmad to Alei Nao, 1 run. |
| 17.3 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, FOUR! These are important runs for PNG! Tossed up on off, Kipling Doriga walks down a couple of steps and spanks it over mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 17.4 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, No run. |
| 17.5 : Noor Ahmad to Kipling Doriga, OUT! LBW! Noor breaks a brewing partnership here and gets his first wicket. A gem of a delivery! |
| 0.0 : John Kariko comes out to bat now. |
| 17.6 : Noor Ahmad to John Kariko, Wide! |
| Noor Ahmad to John Kariko, No run. |
| 18.1 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Alei Nao, Over the wicket, on a length, Alei Nao gets beaten by the pace off and the ball goes over the top of off. |
| 18.2 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Alei Nao, OUT! IN THE AIR AND TAKEN! Fazalhaq Farooqi gets his third and he is on a roll here. |
| 0.0 : Semo Kamea is the last man in for Papua New Guinea. |
| 18.3 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to Semo Kamea, Back of a length, outside off, Semo Kamea guides it towards deep third for one. |
| 18.4 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to John Kariko, Good length, angling on the middle, John Kariko blocks it off to the leg side. |
| 18.5 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to John Kariko, Stretches his length a bit this time and lands it very full, on the middle, John Kariko clears his front leg and digs it out to mid off. |
| 18.6 : Fazalhaq Farooqi to John Kariko, FOUR! Nicely placed! First boundary conceded by Fazalhaq Farooqi in this game. Pitches it on the back of a length, angling in on off, John Kariko moves leg side of the ball to open up the off side, and simply places the ball through the vacant backward point region for a boundary. |
| 19.1 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Semo Kamea, Beaten! An off-cutter on the top of off, on a good length. Semo Kamea goes to poke at it and gets beaten on the outside edge. |
| 19.2 : Naveen-ul-Haq to Semo Kamea, Sees the batter shuffling across the leg stump, Naveen-ul-Haq follows him and lands it outside the leg stump line, full in length. Semo Kamea gets an inside edge that runs down to deep fine and the batters cross for one. |
| 19.3 : Naveen-ul-Haq to John Kariko, Naveen-ul-Haq lands it on the leg stump line again, just closer to the stump on a fuller length. John Kariko moves way across the off stump and tries to scoop it over short fine but misses. |
| 19.4 : Naveen-ul-Haq to John Kariko, And again! A slower one on the leg stump line, John Kariko again tries to ramp it over the short fine but fails to get any connection. |
| 19.5 : Naveen-ul-Haq to John Kariko, OUT! RUN OUT! That's the fourth run out for PNG and they get bundled up just before the triple figures. |
| 0.0 : Not the most clinical bowling effort, but Afghanistan get the job done eventually! The Afghan bowlers were way off from their usual standards, conceding as many as 25 extras. They will need to address these lapses and tighten up their performance if they want to continue their strong run in the tournament. Afghanistan were gifted an early breakthrough in the form of a run out and after that, the Afghan pace duo took over. As he has done in the competition so far, Fazalhaq Farooqi made the new b |
| As many as 4 run-outs occurred in the Papua New Guinea innings in what was yet another disappointing batting display. However, PNG will take heart from the fact that they were able to get close to 100, considering that they were 50-7 at one point in time. They started off on the wrong foot as a lackadaisical piece of running resulted in the departure of their skipper, Assad Vala. It went from bad to worse and after losing 5 wickets in the Powerplay, PNG were always playing catch up from there. |
| Naveen-ul-Haq is in for a chat. He says it is an honor to play for the country and is delighted to achieve the milestone of 50 T20I wickets and says to achieve this feat in in the World Cup is very special. On being asked about the target, he says they can't say anything about it as it is a funny game, and is hopeful that the batters chase it down. |
| ... THE RUN CHASE ... |
| Right then, the Afghan bowlers have done their job and it is up to the batters now to knock off the target of 96 runs and help Afghanistan book their place in the Super 8 stage. The Afghan openers have done the heavy lifting so far and Papua New Guinea will feel that if they remove the openers early, they can put pressure on the rest of the batting unit, which has not been tested yet. |
| 0.1 : Alei Nao to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Little bit of an away movement from outside off on the back of a length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz watches it closely and lets it go. |
| 0.2 : Alei Nao to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, A bit closer to the body on the top of off, Rahmanullah Gurbaz slashes it off the toe end of the bat in front of the covers and gets off the mark with a single. |
| 0.3 : Alei Nao to Ibrahim Zadran, WIDE! He will have to reload this one again! Sprays it down the leg side on a fuller length, Ibrahim Zadran misses to flick it away. Wide given. |
| Alei Nao to Ibrahim Zadran, WIDE! Sloppy and wayward! This time, Alei Nao bowls it on a length, but too wide outside the guideline, Ibrahim Zadran shoulders his arms at it. |
| Alei Nao to Ibrahim Zadran, No run. |
| 0.4 : Alei Nao to Ibrahim Zadran, Short of good length outside off, Ibrahim Zadran punches it on the up and the covers fielder stops it with a dive to his right. |
| 0.5 : Alei Nao to Ibrahim Zadran, FIVE LEG BYES! OH DEAR! PNG just cannot afford these silly errors. |
| 0.6 : Alei Nao to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 0.0 : Who will bowl from the other end? It will be Semo Kamea, who has been brought into the side for this game. |
| 1.1 : Semo Kamea to Ibrahim Zadran, OUT! LBW! A huge adamant shout for LBW and the umpire gives it a thought but raises his finger eventually! Semo Kamea pitches it around the leg stump line, and tails into the pads, Ibrahim Zadran plays over the line and the ball sneaks past the inside edge and pings the pads. Ball Tracking shows that the ball has clearly pitched outside the leg stump which saves Ibrahim Zadran. |
| 1.2 : Semo Kamea to Ibrahim Zadran, On the back of a length, angling across off, Ibrahim Zadran slashes at it but misses. |
| 1.3 : Semo Kamea to Ibrahim Zadran, Tails into the batter from the middle, on a fullish length, Ibrahim Zadran plants his front leg ahead and knocks it towards mid on. |
| 1.4 : Semo Kamea to Ibrahim Zadran, OUT! YOU MISS I HIT! Afghanistan lose the first wicket and Semo Kamea and all the PNG players are ecstatic. And again, a beautiful seam position, tailing into the leg stump line from middle, on a fuller length, Ibrahim Zadran stays leg side of the ball and goes for a heave across the line but the ball stays a bit low on the bounce and skids through quickly beating the batter's inside edge and dismantles the furniture. A duck for Ibrahim Zadran. |
| Gulbadin Naib walks in at number 3. |
| 1.5 : Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, Off the mark with a single. On the hard length, with a minimal inward movement onto the pads, Gulbadin Naib tucks it towards the leg side for a single. |
| 1.6 : Semo Kamea to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, FOUR! Poor line and rightly punished! Angles it into the leg stump line, pitching fuller in length, Rahmanullah Gurbaz plants his front foot in line and clips it through backward square leg for a boundary. |
| 2.1 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, Full in length, around middle and leg, Gulbadin Naib flicks it towards deep mid-wicket for a brace. |
| 2.2 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, On the middle and full in length, Gulbadin Naib clips it to deep backward square leg for one. |
| 2.3 : Alei Nao to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, SIX! Didn't time it perfectly but it has got enough fire to sail through the fence. Lands it on a length, at the stumps, Rahmanullah Gurbaz uses his feet to get to the length of the ball and swipes it across the line, getting the inner half of the bat. He powerfully hits it over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. The first one of the game. |
| 2.4 : Alei Nao to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, No run. |
| 2.5 : Alei Nao to Rahmanullah Gurbaz, OUT! BOWLED'EM! Swing and a miss and Gurbaz falls too. |
| 0.0 : Azmatullah Omarzai comes out to the middle. |
| 2.6 : Alei Nao to Azmatullah Omarzai, Wide! |
| Alei Nao to Azmatullah Omarzai, A yorker outside the line of the off stump, Azmatullah Omarzai digs it out straight back to the bowler. End of a successful over for PNG. |
| 3.1 : Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, Across off on a length, Gulbadin Naib gets on the back foot and taps it in front of point. |
| 3.2 : Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, WIDE! Swinging down the leg side on a fuller length, keeps low on the bounce as well. Gulbadin Naib misses to flick it fine. The keeper collects the ball with a full-stretched dive to his left. |
| Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, Pitches it on a good length, across off, Gulbadin Naib goes back and across and punches it towards the widish deep third region for a single. |
| 3.3 : Semo Kamea to Azmatullah Omarzai, Aims a pinpoint yorker, tails in a shade as well on the middle, Azmatullah Omarzai brings the bat down in time and inside edges onto the boot. Good delivery! |
| 3.4 : Semo Kamea to Azmatullah Omarzai, WIDE! That's a bit sloppy and wayward! Slants it way across the off stump line, and beyond the guideline. Wided. |
| Semo Kamea to Azmatullah Omarzai, A knee-length full toss on off, Azmatullah Omarzai prods ahead and drives it crisply straight to the left of mid off and fetches a single. |
| 3.5 : Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, On the back of a length, on off, Gulbadin Naib camps back and solidly punches it in front of mid off. |
| 3.6 : Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, FOUR! What a glorious on drive! Aims the toes but serves a half-volley, Gulbadin Naib knocks it solidly through mid-wicket for a cracking boundary. |
| 4.2 : Alei Nao to Azmatullah Omarzai, Touch full and on the middle and leg channel, Azmatullah Omarzai again closes the bat's face a bit early and takes the leading edge of the willow towards covers. |
| 4.1 : Alei Nao to Azmatullah Omarzai, Angles it down the leg side, on a length, Azmatullah Omarzai is a bit early onto the flick shot and gets a leading edge in front of the covers. |
| 4.3 : Alei Nao to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 4.4 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, Attacks the off stump on a hard length, Gulbadin Naib gets through the line and knocks it back at the bowler. |
| 4.5 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, Outside off on a good lenght, slightly nipping away, Gulbadin Naib fetches it from outside off and toe ends towards the left of mid on. |
| 4.6 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, DROPPED! Oh, no! Kipling Doriga has just put down a sitter! Alei Nao continues from over the wicket and lands it on a length, that nips away with the angle, Gulbadin Naib plays it inside the line of the ball anticipating it to come a bit closer at him but takes the outside edge that flies straight towards the right of the keeper. Kipling Doriga dives to his right but juggles in the end, eventually shelling the catch. How costly would this prove to be for PNG? |
| 5.1 : Chad Soper to Azmatullah Omarzai, Starts off with a full delivery, on off, Azmatullah Omarzai leans on it and drives it to deep cover for a single. |
| 5.2 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, No run. |
| 5.3 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, In the air...but it goes just over! |
| 5.4 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, Four! |
| 5.5 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, No run. |
| 5.6 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, Pulls his length back a touch and serves it on off, Gulbadin Naib gets half-forward and pats it to cover. |
| 6.1 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, No run. |
| 6.2 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, 2 runs. |
| 6.3 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, Goes full and straight, at the stumps, Azmatullah Omarzai drives it neatly but can't get it past mid off. |
| 6.4 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, This is short in length, outside off, Azmatullah Omarzai stands tall and gets on top of the bounce to punch it in front of square on the off side for one. |
| 6.5 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, Four! |
| 6.6 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, Swing and a miss! Fuller in length, outside off, Gulbadin Naib skips down the track and swings to go back over the bowler's head but misses as the ball keeps low and sneaks past the inside edge. |
| 7.1 : John Kariko to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 7.2 : John Kariko to Gulbadin Naib, A hint of away turn, short and on off, Gulbadin Naib whips it through mid-wicket and gets to the other end. Afghanistan halfway there. 48 more runs required for a spot in the Super 8 stage. |
| 7.3 : John Kariko to Azmatullah Omarzai, FOUR! Slashes and slashes hard does Omarzai! Quicker and shorter, on off, Azmatullah Omarzai goes for the cut but gets a thickish outside edge that flies through the vacant short third region for a boundary. |
| 7.4 : John Kariko to Azmatullah Omarzai, No run. |
| 7.5 : John Kariko to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 7.6 : John Kariko to Gulbadin Naib, Spears it in from around the wicket, short and at the stumps, Gulbadin Naib gets taken aback slightly by the extra bounce but does well to keep it out on the off side. |
| 8.1 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, Angling in a touch, on a length, outside off, Azmatullah Omarzai plays it late and glides it straight to backward point. |
| 8.2 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, 1 run. |
| 8.3 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, Oh, that nearly sneaked through! Slanting in from over the wicket, fuller and on off, Gulbadin Naib shuffles across and goes for a heave across the line. Gets it off the toe-end and it then goes on to deflect off the pads. The batters cross as the ball rolls down to deep third for one. |
| 8.4 : Norman Vanua to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! CASTLED! Not much Azmatullah Omarzai could have done there. |
| 0.0 : 'The Professor', Mohammad Nabi walks in at number 5. |
| 8.5 : Norman Vanua to Mohammad Nabi, Full and shaping in a touch, on middle, Mohammad Nabi knocks it along the ground to mid on. |
| 8.6 : Norman Vanua to Mohammad Nabi, Needless throw and Mohammad Nabi gets off the mark with an overthrow. |
| 9.1 : Semo Kamea to Mohammad Nabi, Serves it on a short of a good length, on off, Mohammad Nabi pushes it wide of cover but gets sent back again by Naib. |
| 9.2 : Semo Kamea to Mohammad Nabi, Pitches it right up to the batter, on middle, Mohammad Nabi clips it wide of mid on for a single. |
| 9.3 : Semo Kamea to Gulbadin Naib, 1 run. |
| 9.4 : Semo Kamea to Mohammad Nabi, Play and a miss! Steams in from around the wicket and bowls it in the channel on off, on a back of a length, Mohammad Nabi pokes at the delivery and he is lucky not to nick this one behind. |
| 9.5 : Semo Kamea to Mohammad Nabi, At 128.4 kph, keeps it on a back of a length, on off, Mohammad Nabi defends at it tentatively off the back foot and gets an inside edge back onto his pads. |
| 9.6 : Semo Kamea to Mohammad Nabi, Good early call! |
| 10.1 : Chad Soper to Mohammad Nabi, Bowls at a gentle pace, outside off on a length, Mohammad Nabi dabs it in between cover-point and fetches a single. The fielder from cover moves to his left and picks it up and throws it at the keeper's end. |
| 10.2 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, Back of a length, on off, Gulbadin Naib punches it off the back foot towards the left of long on for an easy single. |
| 0.0 : Drinks! Time for a hydration break. Well, the game is still tilted in favor of Afghanistan as they need way less than run a ball from here. But, Papua New Guinea bowlers have managed to chip in with wickets at times and haven't let the Afghan batters to be at ease. They need more wickets, and in clusters, that too, as quick as possible. With a good batting still to follow, Afghanistan will look to sail through the winning line without losing any further wickets. Chad Soper (1-0-7-0) comes bac |
| 10.3 : Chad Soper to Mohammad Nabi, Full and tailing in the leg side, Mohammad Nabi plays it with a straight bat and manages to clear the inner ring over mid on and gets a double. |
| 10.4 : Chad Soper to Mohammad Nabi, Fuller in length again, on the middle and leg channel, Mohammad Nabi flicks it along the ground towards deep mid-wicket for another couple of runs. |
| 10.5 : Chad Soper to Mohammad Nabi, An appeal for LBW, but turned down! Assad Vala, the PNG skipper opts for a review and challenges the on-field decision. Chad Soper bowls with a beautiful seam position and lands it around the middle and leg, Mohammad Nabi is a bit late to bring his bat down and looks to flick it away, but doesn't connect and gets a ping on the front pad. UltraEdge shows no bat involved and Ball Tracker shows that the impact is outside leg. A review burnt by PNG here. |
| 10.6 : Chad Soper to Mohammad Nabi, Good-length delivery around off, Mohammad Nabi presses forward and defends it straight back to the bowler. |
| 11.1 : John Kariko to Gulbadin Naib, Tossed up on the stumps, Gulbadin Naib knocks it down the ground to long on for a single. |
| 11.2 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, Drifts it on the leg stump line, on a length, Mohammad Nabi misses to tuck it away and gets a brush off the thigh pad towards widish square leg for a leg bye. |
| 11.3 : John Kariko to Gulbadin Naib, Another appeal for LBW but turned down again! John Kariko convinces his skipper Assad Vala to go upstairs once again. Review taken. John Kariko bowls it from around the wicket and lands it in front of the stumps on a fuller length, Gulbadin Naib gets a good stride forward to defend it but plays it over the line and the ball passes closely through the inside edge and pings his front pad. UltraEdge shows there's no nick and Ball Tracking confirms that the imp |
| 11.4 : John Kariko to Gulbadin Naib, Good length on the stumps, Gulbadin Naib punches it towards long on for a single. |
| 11.5 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, No run. |
| 11.6 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, Shade short and around leg, Mohammad Nabi looks to flick it but gets a leading edge that falls well short of the bowler. |
| 12.1 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, FOUR! Good shot! Short in length, on the top of off, sets up nicely for the batter, Gulbadin Naib readies himself on the back foot, rolls his wrists and pulls it nicely through deep mid-wicket for a boundary. |
| 12.2 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, Good length on the stumps, 121 kph, Gulbadin Naib whips it towards deep square leg for a single. |
| 12.3 : Norman Vanua to Mohammad Nabi, 1 run. |
| 12.4 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, Too full and outside off, Gulbadin Naib chops it on with the inside edge and onto the boot. |
| 12.5 : Norman Vanua to Gulbadin Naib, Good length, just around off, Gulbadin Naib prods ahead and pushes it in front of mid off and sneaks a quick single. Good running! |
| 12.6 : Norman Vanua to Mohammad Nabi, Short and jagging back a bit on off, Mohammad Nabi goes for an aerial route on the pull shot but mistimes it and the ball lands just ahead of the advancing deep mid-wicket fielder for a single to end the over. Afghanistan need 20 runs now off 42 balls remaining. |
| 13.1 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, FOUR! Magnificent shot! John Kariko lands it right on the off stump, a half-volley, Mohammad Nabi clears his front leg and drives it inside out over covers for a boundary. |
| 13.2 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, No run. |
| 13.3 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, Way too slow and on off, full in length, Mohammad Nabi shovels it out towards deep covers for one. |
| 13.4 : John Kariko to Gulbadin Naib, 1 run. |
| 13.5 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, Loops it up, on a fullish length, on middle, Mohammad Nabi jams it out back to the bowler. |
| 13.6 : John Kariko to Mohammad Nabi, And again! Darted in from around the wicket, on a fullish length, Mohammad Nabi can only squeeze this one back to Kariko. |
| 14.1 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, SIX! Absolutely smoked! Alei Nao comes back into the attack and serves it with an upright seam, on a length, around off, Gulbadin Naib clears his front leg nice and early and swats it flat and over deep mid-wicket for a maximum. |
| 14.2 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, Fuller in length, on off, Gulbadin Naib springs on the front foot and lofts it over mid on for a couple of runs. |
| 14.3 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, Keeps it full and on off, Gulbadin Naib clips it aerially but to the left of mid-wicket for two runs more. Just 4 needed now. |
| 14.4 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, 1 run. |
| 14.5 : Alei Nao to Mohammad Nabi, Misfield! Gets the yorker in, on off and middle, Mohammad Nabi squeezes it out to mid-wicket where the fielder lets it through his hands and concedes a single. |
| 14.6 : Alei Nao to Gulbadin Naib, Bye! Everything happening! |
| 15.1 : Chad Soper to Gulbadin Naib, SIX! Gulbadin Naib finishes the game off in style! Afghanistan are through to the Super 8 stage! Chad Soper serves it right in the slot, on off, Gulbadin Naib picks up the length early and goes down town. Gets more height than distance but gets enough bat on to clear the long on fielder who ran across to his left. |
| 0.0 : THREE WINS ON THE TROT FOR AFGHANISTAN, AND THEY OFFICIALLY LEAPFROG INTO THE SUPER 8s! A well-deserved one for the men in blue. Humbling Uganda in their first game, and then decimating the Kiwis in their second, and now defeating Papua New Guinea convincingly. Quite a dream run for them but a great learning curve for Papua New Guinea at this platform. |
| On the hunt for their third win, Afghanistan started off cautiously with openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran sizing up the conditions. Gurbaz didn't let the loose deliveries go unpunished, finding a boundary and a six, but Zadran fell cheaply for a duck. Gurbaz too departed soon after trying to be extra aggressive, leaving Afghanistan struggling early at 11/2. However, Gulbadin Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai steadied the ship with a crucial partnership, ensuring the required rate never be |
| Papua New Guinea started decently with the ball as Alei Nao and Semo Kamea bowled tight lines and lengths. But they leaked too many extras, a luxury they couldn't afford while defending a paltry total. Kamea struck early, removing Zadran, while Alei Nao joined the wicket-taking party soon after as well. Papua New Guinea could have tasted further success had Kipling Doriga not grassed a straightforward chance off Gulbadin's bat. Norman Vanua then broke the partnership with a peach of a deliv |
| Earlier in the game, The Afghan bowlers came out all guns blazing, and PNG's top order was blown away early in their innings. Fazalhaq Farooqi was the chief destroyer, striking double blows in his very first over to leave PNG reeling. With wickets tumbling like ninepins, the Papua New Guinea batters found themselves on a sticky wicket at 17/4, as they failed to cope with the fiery Afghan pace attack. Naveen-ul-Haq also joined the party, chipping in with a crucial couple of wickets. To add to P |
| The presentation ceremony... |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi is the PLAYER OF THE MATCH for his stellar showing with the ball. Starts by congratulating the people of Afghanistan for the team's progress to the Super 8 stage. Says that he feels happy to contribute to the team. Mentions that he knows how to carry his body and one warm-up game was enough for him to get into rhythm. Adds that he tries to keep it simple and stick to his strengths. Shares that if there is swing on offer, he looks for wickets but if there is no help, he tries to |
| Assad Vala, the skipper of Papua New Guinea says that Afghanistan is a really good team and giving them four crucial wickets through run outs kept them under immense pressure. Adds it has been challenging, not only for them but for every team and you have to keep wickets in hand and launch in the end. Reckons that the bowling has been really good and that they bowled tight lines and lengths to keep the oppositions under pressure. Says the execution was very good as they created a couple of oppo |
| The captain of Afghanistan, Rashid Khan says that it is a great feeling to qualify for the next round.  Adds that the boys have made things easy for him as they know what to do and how to execute. Feels that it is very important to have someone like Rahmanullah Gurbaz who can tee off from ball one. Adds that having Farooqi in the team is the same with the ball. Shares that openers have given the team good starts and it was a good opportunity for others to spend some time in the middle. Feels |
| Right then, that is it from Match number 29 where Afghanistan convincingly defeated Papua New Guinea by 7 wickets and qualified for the Super 8s, being the table-toppers with a very healthy NRR. Afghanistan now travel to St. Lucia to face the formidable West Indies for their last league game, while PNG will face the Kiwis at this very venue after a couple of moons. Next up in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2024, is a very crucial Group A clash between Ireland and the co-hosts USA. Ireland will l |
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