In the most important match of Group 2 in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, New Zealand defeated Afghanistan and qualified for the semi-finals.
New Zealand easily completed the 125-run target in the 19th over and became the second team to reach the semi-finals from Group 2.
Earlier, Pakistan has already qualified for the semi-finals from Group 2.
In the match played in Abu Dhabi, Afghanistan captain Muhammad Nabi won the toss and elected to bat first.
Afghanistan struggled during the batting and scored 124 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the stipulated 20 overs.
Najibullah stood out for Afghanistan with 73 runs, followed by Gulbuddin Naib with 15 and Mohammad Nabi with 14.
For New Zealand, Trent Bolt took three wickets for 17 runs, Tim Southee took two wickets, Ash Soodie, Adam Milne and James Nesham took one wicket each.
New Zealand innings:
New Zealand completed the target of 125 runs for the loss of 2 wickets and qualified for the semi-finals.
For the Kiwis, captain William Sun was unbeaten on 40 and Devon Conway on 38.
After New Zealand made it to the semi-finals in Group 2, India were knocked out of the semi-finals, but India have to play their last match on November 8 against Namibia.
According to the World Cup schedule, the first semi-final will be played on November 10 at 7 pm in Abu Dhabi while the second match will be played on November 11 at 7 pm in Dubai.
Depending on the format of the tournament, the first-placed team in Group 1 will play a semi-final match against the second-ranked team in Group 2, and the first-placed team in Group 2 will face the second-ranked team in Group 1.
In Group 1, England is first and Australia is second, while in Group 2, New Zealand is first and Pakistan is second due to run rate.
However, Pakistan has to play its last group match against Scotland today. Pakistan can come to the top in Group 2 by beating Scotland, after which it will face Australia in the semi-finals on November 11 in Dubai.
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