T20 World Cup 2024: Exciting Match No. 29: Afghanistan vs PNG, defeated PNG by 7 wickets: Afghanistan is unbeaten. In their 29th encounter, Afghanistan chose to bowl first against PNG after winning the toss. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is still in progress in Trinidad.
As a Group C qualifier, the team hopes to play the West Indies. A victory would put an official stop to New Zealand’s prospects of advancement while simultaneously guaranteeing development.
Early signs suggest PNG are eager to cause a big upset, showing intent to run between the wickets to quickly reach 10/0. However, the more fancied team had the upper hand when Assad Vala was forced out of his crease.
Fazalhaq Farooqi effected a runout, and his impact was soon visible with the ball too, picking up two wickets in succession early in the next over.
Naveen-ul-Haq let the result speak for itself in the powerplay too, picking up two wickets, including the crucial wicket of Tony Ura (11 off 18 balls).
T20 World Cup 2024: PNG were 30/5 after six overs.
Things went south just before the drinks came, despite Kipling Doriga and Chad Soper’s best efforts to keep the Barramundis’ score in check. They had a little miscommunication that led to their second run of the inning, but it wasn’t their last.
Norman Vanua suffered a stroke of misfortune at the start of the 13th over, rushing to take a single. As he approached the crease, the corner of his bat dipped into the pitch – he, like Soper, was caught short.
Afghanistan displayed such ruthlessness in the field that there was even more noise about their chances of reaching the second round of World Cup qualification.
They tried seven bowlers, because, why not, bundling out Papua New Guinea for a meagre total of just 95—all out off the second last ball with their fourth run out of the innings. PNG’s six run-outs are the most of any team in the tournament—a key learning moment for the Barramundis.
Farooqi returned 3/16 from his four overs, continuing his impressive breakout tournament for Afghanistan. PNG wasn’t going down without a fight, dismissing both openers in the first three overs.
They made things difficult for Afghanistan and created a few more half-chances that were hard to believe. Afghanistan finished the powerplay at 39/2, having made some minor changes to their plan to finish things off quickly.
Despite another wicket in the ninth over, Afghanistan came close to victory under Gulbadin Naib’s leadership. They were 59/3 at the mid-innings, still comfortably meeting the run-per-ball requirement.
T20 World Cup 2024: AFG vs PNG Match Details
| Category | Details |
| MATCH | Match 29 |
| VENUE | Brian Lara Cricket Academy, Tarouba |
| DATE & TIME | Friday, 14th June |
| SERIES | ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, 2024 |
| TOSS | Afghanistan elected to field |
| UMPIRES | Michael Gough (ENG), Alex Wharf (ENG), and Richard Illingworth (ENG) |
| REFEREE | David Boon (AUS) |
| AFGHANISTAN | 101/3 (15.1) |
| PAPUA NEW GUINEA | 95 (19.5) |
| Winner | Afghanistan beat Papua New Guinea by 7 wickets |
| PLAYER OF THE MATCH | Fazalhaq Farooqi |
| PERFORMANCE | 3/16 (4 overs) |
Source: ICC