INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea by seven wickets in Trinidad on Thursday to reach the Super Eight stage of the Twenty20 World Cup with a
game to spare and end New Zealand&s slim hopes of progressing.The Afghans had already effectively eliminated New Zealand after defeating
them by 84 runs in Georgetown, and on Thursday they confirmed that they pose a threat to any opponent with another accomplished all-round
display.Spearheaded by standout left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi, the Afghan bowlers kept opponents under 100 runs for the third time in
their three matches in the tournament, dismissing the Papuans, who had four batsmen run out, for 95.Penetrating bowling from Alei Nao and
Semo Kamea on a lively surface ensured the run chase was not straightforward but Gulbadin Naib&s 49 from 36 deliveries steered the Afghans
safely to their target at 101-3 inside 16 overs.&I want to congratulate all the people of Afghanistan because we have now officially
qualified for the Super Eight and I feel proud,& said Farooqi, who was named Player of the Match for his 3-16.&We just keep it simple and
give 100%.&After Rashid Khan had won the toss and opted to field first, his opposite number Assad Vala was the first man dismissed, run out
for three after committing the elementary error of making his ground but leaving his bat in the air.Farooqi, the tournament&s leading wicket
taker, increased his tally by two from consecutive balls and Naveen-ul-Haq struck immediately from the other end to reduce Papua New Guinea
to 17 for four.Rashid and his left-arm wrist spinning partner Noor Ahmad took over after the power play, consistently bamboozling the
batsmen as they swung hopefully but ineffectually at the ball.The result was a second run out with both batsmen stranded at the same end and
it was Chad Soper (9) who was forced to leave.A third run out followed when Norman Vanua departed for a duck when his bat got stuck in the
pitch as he tried to slide it past the crease.Kiplin Doriga offered some resistance, hitting two fours to reach 27, but almost inevitably
the innings ended with a final runout when Semo Kamea (2) was stranded with a ball remaining.Papua New Guinea struck swiftly, dismissing
openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (11) and Ibrahim Zadran (0), who had shared century partnerships against Uganda and New Zealand.But Naib and
Mohammad Nabi calmed their team&s nerves by rotating the strike with a series of quick singles, taking Afghanistan past the 50 mark when
they began to play more expansively, Naib ending the match in style with a six.The Afghans progressed along with co-hosts West Indies, who
they meet in their final round-robin match in St Lucia on Monday to decide who tops Group C. Related Stories: Afghanistan shock New
Zealand by 84 runs for first win in history Rankings joy for Afghanistan as Nabi crowned new No.1 all-rounderThe post Afghanistan down PNG
to reach Super Eight, end NZ hopes first appeared on Ariana News.
