T20 World Cup 2024: Afghanistan storm into Super Eights, New Zealand knocked out

Afghanistan's batsmen Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi embrace after defeating Papua New Guinea's by 7 wicket in an ICC Men's T20 World Cup cricket match at Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba, Trinidad and Tobago, Thursday, June 13, 2024. AP/PTI

There was something almost poetic about Mohammad Nabi and Gulbadin Naib being in the middle when Afghanistan thumped Papua New Guinea (PNG) by seven wickets to storm into the Super Eights of the T20 World Cup. This emphatic win, sealed with 29 balls to spare, meant that New Zealand – runners-up to Australia in 2021 – were knocked out after their losses against West Indies and Afghanistan.

Nabi, now 39, is the biggest symbol of how far Afghanistan has come in so short a time. In May 2008, he played in the final of the World Cricket League Division 5 against Jersey. At the Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Friday, he watched from the non-striker’s end as Naib, a teenager on the fringes of that 2008 squad, launched a straight six to confirm Afghanistan’s place among the T20 elite.

Papua New Guinea had fought bravely while giving West Indies a big scare in their tournament opener. But in Trinidad, they were their own worst enemies, with four run-outs contributing to a below-par total of 95. They achieved one of their major aims by keeping Rashid Khan, Afghanistan captain and talisman, wicket-less. But these days, Afghanistan are far from a one-man team. The two frontline pace bowlers, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq, did the damage, taking 3-16 and 2-4 in an eye-catching display of quality seam bowling.

The run-out of Assad Vala, the PNG captain, set the tone for a poor display, as he failed to ground his bat while going for a third run. Before the Powerplay was over, they had slipped to 30-5, with Farooqi having Lega Siaka and Sese Bau caught behind off successive deliveries. Only a fighting 27 (32 balls) from Kiplin Doriga, the wicketkeeper, took PNG to a total that they could think of defending.

Afghanistan’s chase wasn’t without jitters. Ibrahim Zadran fell to Semo Kamea in the second over, going for an ugly mow, and when Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who recently won the IPL with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) fell in similar fashion to Alei Nao, PNG had a sniff. But Naib and Azmatullah Omarzai rebuilt, and Nabi then came out to help his fellow veteran apply the finishing touches.

Afterwards, Rashid referenced the experience that he and several teammates have of playing in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). “Most of the guys, like Nabi, Gurbaz played in St. Lucia, and we have to share that experience with the guys who have not played much,” he said. “It is about playing your natural cricket in those conditions. We will not change our brand of cricket, and it is about how we will play that brand in those conditions.”

On this evidence, not too many teams will fancy playing them.

In exclusive arrangement with RevSportz