Dubai: A 23-ball blitzkrieg of 66 from Azmatullah Omarzai was backed up by some precise bowling by spinners Mujeeb Zadran and Qais Ahmad as Afghanistan scored a thumping 202-run victory over New Zealand to move into the Super League semi-finals of the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup in Christchurch on Thursday.
Azmatullah unleashed three fours and seven sixes as the Asian champions posted a daunting 309 for six after electing to bat first at the Hagley Oval. New Zealand were bowled out for 107 with off-spinner Mujeeb (four for 14) and leg-spinner Qais (four for 33) mesmerising the host side’s batting.
Azmatullah, who was one of three players rested in Afghanistan’s last league match against Ireland which they lost by four runs, showed what the Afghanistan first-choice players are capable of as they get ready to take on three-time champions Australia in the first semi-final on Monday, 29 January, at the same venue.
The result also means that three Asian sides will be in the semi-finals since Pakistan have already qualified and await the winners of the match between two other South Asian teams — India and Bangladesh — who play the last quarter-final on Friday in Queenstown. Coincidently, three Asian sides (Bangladesh, India and Pakistan) had also reached the semi-finals of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 in England and Wales.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz (69, 67b, 7x4, 3x6) and Ibrahim Zadran (68, 98b, 5x4, 1x6) were associated in Afghanistan’s maiden century-stand in the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup that set the platform for later batsmen to build on.
After a 117-run stand in just over 20 overs, Bahir Shah (67 not out, 72b, 4x4) played a solid innings to ensure the initiative was not lost in the middle overs.
