AfghanAtalan Storm into the Super Eight Round of the T20 World Cup

Kabul, June 14, 2024: AfghanAtalan have delivered a stellar all-round performance by defeating Papua New Guinea by 7 wickets to secure their third consecutive victory and qualify for the Super Eight round of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.

Afghanistan's skipper, Rashid Khan, opted to field first after winning the toss, aiming to test their chasing abilities before advancing further in the tournament. Fazal Haq Farooqi (3/26), Naveen Ul Haq (2/4), and Noor Ahmad (1/14) bowled exceptionally well to restrict PNG to 95/10 in the first innings.

Despite losing Ibrahim Zadran (0) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) early in the chase, Gulbadin Naib (49*), in his 150th international match for Afghanistan, put on a brilliant batting display to guide the team to a comfortable victory by 7 wickets and help the team to secure their spot in the Super Eight Round of the event.

Fazal Haq Farooqi was named Player of the Match for his impressive figures of 3/16 off 4 overs. This was his second Player of the Match award in three games, and he currently leads the bowling chart with 12 wickets in the tournament.

Afghanistan has reclaimed the top spot in Group C, with their final group match scheduled for Tuesday, June 18, against the West Indies in Saint Lucia.

Afghanistan's qualification to the Super Eight comes at the expense of New Zealand, and as per the tournament's seeding rules, Afghanistan will advance as C1 and will be pooled in Group 1 alongside A1 (India), B2 (Australia), and D2 (TBC).