Sports Bulletin

Sports Reporter LAHORE (November 9, 2021):-Balochistan beat Northern by an innings and four runs in their ninth-round match of the Cricket Associations Championship at the Saeed Ajmal Academy in Faisalabad on Tuesday. Resuming their second innings on 108 for five in 34.3 overs, Northern were bowled out for 179 in the 63rd over. Balochistan’s right-arm pacer Tariq Jameel picked four for 53 and ended-up with six wickets for 69. He was supported by Zainullah who with his left-arm spin picked three wickets in each innings and ended-up with match figures of six for 71 in 37 overs. Sindh’s Saim Ayub hit century in a drawn game against Southern Punjab at the Rana Naved Cricket Academy. Resuming their first innings on 390 for four, Southern Punjab managed to score 420 for five in 83 overs. Moinuddin returned undefeated on 170 hitting nine fours and as many sixes from 156 balls faced. Sindh in their second innings were 283 for three in 57.2 overs when stumps were drawn. Left-handed batter Saim scored 129 off 145, laced with 13 fours and three sixes. His opening partner Ahsan Ali scored 50-ball 80, which included 16 fours. Daniyal Hussain contributed an unbeaten 50 off 124, laced with four fours. At LCCA Ground in Lahore, Central Punjab played out a drawn game against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Resuming their first innings on the overnight score of 337 for nine in 65 overs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were bowled out for 343. Zohaib Khan who resumed his batting on 96 scored an unbeaten 102 off 84, which included 11 fours and five sixes. Central Punjab in their second innings were 306 for seven in 70 overs when stumps were drawn. Rizwan Hussain top-scored with a 82-ball 74, hitting 11 fours and two sixes while Mohammad Waheed batting at number six scored an unbeaten 56 off 87, laced with five fours. Nisar Ahmad (42 off 54, four fours, one six) and Mohammad Irfan Khan (40 off 56, five fours) were other contributors with the bat. For Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Saqib Jamil picked three for 45. Scores in Brief: Balochistan beat Northern by an innings and four runs at Saeed Ajmal Academy, Faisalabad Northern 102 all out, 45.4 overs (Ali Sarfraz 27, Kashif Ali 25; Zainullah Snr 3-25, Mohammad Shahid 2-9, Tariq Jameel 2-16, Aftab Ahmed 2-28) and 179 all out, 62.2 overs (Ziad Khan 50; Tariq Jameel 4-53, Zainullah 3-46, Fahad Iqbal 2-10) Balochistan 285-9, 83 overs (Mohammad Shahid 72 not out, Fahad Iqbal 60, Hanan Achakzai 55; Farhan Shafiq 4-107, Kashif Ali 2-32) Match drawn between Southern Punjab v Sindh at Rana Naved Cricket Academy, Sheikhupura Sindh 387-8, 83 overs (Usman Khan 136, Ahsan Ali 101, Saim Ayub 54, Danish Aziz 40; Ahsan Baig 2-51, Ahmad Hassan 2-58, Umer Khan 2-112) and 283-3, 57.2 overs (Saim Ayub 129, Ahsan Ali 80, Daniyal Hussain Rajput 50; Umar Khan 2-70) Southern Punjab 420-5, 83 overs (Moinuddin 170 not out, Mukhtar Ahmad 142, Zeeshan Ashraf 67; Danish Aziz 2-147) Match drawn between Central Punjab v Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at LCCA Ground, Lahore Central Punjab 403-3, 83 overs (Abdul Samad 108, Ali Zaryab 88, Rizwan Hussain 99 not out, Irfan Khan 91 not out) and 306-7, 70 overs (Rizwan Hussain 74, Mohammad Waheed 56 not out, Nisar Ahmad 42) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 343 all out, 67 overs (Zohaib Khan 102 not out, Waqar Ahmed 80, Mohammad Mohsin Khan 47, Mohammad Sarwar Afridi 42, Saqib Jamil 33; Nisar Ahmad 3-63, Sohaibullah 2-36, Mohammad Waheed 2-78)

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (November 9, 2021):-The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for October which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year. The International Cricket Council (ICC) today announced the winners of the ICC Player of the Month Awards for October which recognise and celebrate the best performances from both male and female cricketers across all forms of international cricket throughout the year. Pakistan’s Asif Ali and Ireland’s Laura Delany have been voted the ICC Players of the Month for October. Ali beat Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan and Namibia's David Wiese to the men's award, and Delany beat teammate Gaby Lewis and Zimbabwe's Mary-Anne Musonda to the women's prize. Ali scored 52 runs without defeat across three matches for Pakistan in October at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scoring at a strike rate of 273.68. He first grabbed headlines at the tournament by blasting 27 not out from 12 balls to help Pakistan defeat New Zealand, but it was what he did in the next game that made him a household name. With Pakistan needing 24 runs off the final two overs against Afghanistan, Ali hit four sixes in the 19th. Commenting on Ali’s performance ICC Voting Academy member Irfan Pathan said: “Helping your team to win, especially from the jaws of defeat is what makes Asif Ali special. And he did that not just once but twice,". Although he scored considerably less than other two nominated players, the contribution he made and the pressure situations from where he snatched the victories made all the difference.” Ireland captain Delany shone in their 3-1 ODI series win over Zimbabwe. The all-rounder flourished with bat and ball, scoring 189 runs at 63, and taking four wickets at 27. Commenting on Delany’s performance ICC Voting Academy member Lisa Sthalekar said: “Laura has been playing International cricket for over a decade and has the difficult task of captaining her country, which carries a great weight of expectation. I have been following her career, ever since I played alongside her in the Gordon Women’s Club in Sydney and watched her development. This recent series was a breakout series for her as she was able to register her highest ODI score and is a worthy recipient of the ICC Women’s Player of the Month for October.”

BIPIN DANI Sri Lanka Cricket team two coaching staff members-Mickey Arthur (Head coach) and Grant Flower (Batting coach) have not returned with the team but have stayed back in the UAE. The team, which could not advance to the final legs of the World Cup, returned by Emirates Flight (EK 648) early hours on Saturday. "They (Arthur and Flower) have not stayed back to watch the World Cup final but they have sought a short break and are also awaiting their fate with the national team", a top ex-co member, speaking exclusively over the telephone said.  Arthur's contract ended with the World Cup. whereas Flower's contract runs till December. Arthur is likely to return to Sri Lanka on Tuesday. Considering the team's improvement, especially the young blood performing well, both are keen to continue with the team and await the evaluation report to be made by the Technical Advisory Committee, headed by Aravinda de Silva. Very few days are left for the upcoming series against the visiting West Indies team, the SLC may have kept "staff for now". However, according to the sources, Muthiah Muralitharan and few others in the advisory committee are keen on having Roshan Mahanama to take this task. Interestingly, Mahanama, the former ICC match-referee himself is a member of the committee and has no coaching experience but that may not become on his way to be involved with the team. "Where did Ravi Shastri have coaching experience ? Also, Mahela Jayawardane was a strategist but has now become a successful head coach of the Mumbai Indians in the IPL", the ex-co member argued.    

Sports Bulletin Report Dubai (November 9, 2021):-India rounded off the Super 12s stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 with a resounding nine-wicket victory over Namibia in Group 2. Both sides had already failed to make the semi-finals before the action got underway in Dubai, but India finished on a high as half centuries from Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul helped them chase 133 with ease. Spinners Ravindra Jadeja and Ravichandran Ashwin set the foundation, taking three wickets apiece to help prevent Namibia, for whom David Wiese again top scored with 26, from setting an imposing total on what was a good wicket. India were left to rue what could have been in the UAE after recording their third win, as two defeats in their opening two games against semi-finalists Pakistan and New Zealand ultimately cost them a place in the last four. Virat Kohli elected to field after winning the toss in his final T20I as India captain but Namibia made a solid start with the bat. Stephan Baard’s six off Mohammed Shami helped his side to 25 without loss after three overs but he soon lost his opening partner when Shami caught Michael Van Lingen, 14 off 15 balls, after he miscued a pull shot off Jasprit Bumrah. No.3 Craig Williams soon followed for a duck after running straight past a Jadeja delivery, Rishabh Pant calmly whipping off the bails as Namibia finished the powerplay on 34 for two. Jadeja had another when Baard missed a sweep and was trapped lbw for 21 and Namibia were in further trouble at 47 for four when fellow spinner Ashwin got in the act, having Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton caught at slip for five. That brought Namibia’s most productive pair at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 together, as Wiese joined captain Gerhard Erasmus at the crease. They shared a stand of 25 until Erasmus, 12 off 20 balls, nicked Ashwin behind to Pant who took a superb catch after a big deflection. Namibia showed some fight, taking 21 from the next 15 balls before JJ Smit became Jadeja’s third victim from the last ball of his spell, Sharma’s diving catch sending him back for a run-a-ball nine with the score 93 for six with five overs to go. Not to be outdone by his teammate, Ashwin bowled Namibia wicket-keeper Zane Green for a golden duck to also pick up his third scalp of the innings, finishing with three for 20 from his four overs. Namibia brought up their 100 in the 17th over as Wiese found support from Jan Frylinck. But the former South Africa international was outfoxed by a Bumrah slower delivery in the penultimate over, Sharma taking another catch to send the all-rounder packing for 26 off 25 balls. By the time Ruben Trumpelmann had scored 13 off Shami’s 20th over, 37 runs had come from the final four, as Namibia left India needing 133 to sign off with a win. Trumpelmann then switched to his primary suit of bowling and should have had the huge wicket of Sharma to his name, but Van Lingen dropped the Indian opener at short fine leg, allowing him to get off the mark. Sharma had another life when a one-handed hack off Wiese somehow fell safely before he swatted the next ball for six behind square on the legside to get India going. Another boundary off Trumpelmann’s second over brought up 3,000 T20I runs for Sharma but he again had a close shave when a mis-timed pull fell just short of the fielder. Sharma and KL Rahul had India cruising as they raced to 54 without loss by the end of the powerplay. And the former brought up an action-packed 50 off 31 balls, his second of the tournament, as India showed no sign of taking their foot off the gas. Eventually, however, Namibia made a breakthrough with Frylinck dismissing Sharma for 56 as wicket-keeper Green held onto the catch to end the opening partnership of 86 one ball before the halfway point. Sharma had dominated the strike with Rahul, but the latter upped the ante after losing his partner and was joined by Suryakumar Yadav who showed off his ability to score all around the ground in an entertaining unbeaten 25 from 19 balls. Rahul brought up his third 50 of the tournament from 35 balls before hitting a boundary to end his side’s campaign in style with 28 balls to spare. Scores in brief India beat Namibia at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai by nine wickets Namibia 132/8 in 20 overs (David Wiese 26, Stephan Baard 21; Ravindra Jadeja 3/16, Ravichandran Ashwin 3/20) India 136/1 in 15.2 overs (Rohit Sharma 56, KL Rahul 54 not out; Jan Frylinck 1/19) Player of the match: Ravindra Jadeja (India)

SPORTS REPORTER Lahore (November 8, 2021):-Pakistan cricket selectors have named an 18-player squad for the three T20Is against Bangladesh, which will be played in Dhaka on 19, 20 and 22 November. The only change in the side that has qualified for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 semifinals is of Mohammad Hafeez who, following discussions with Chief Selector Muhammad Wasim, has opted out so that younger batters can get opportunities to perform and gain international experience and exposure. As such, an in-form Iftikhar Ahmed has been added to the middle-order that also includes Haider Ali and Khushdil Shah. Pakistan squad for the two Tests, which will be played from 26-30 November and 4-8 December in Chittagong and Dhaka, respectively will be announced in due course. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board has retained the same team management that is presently in the United Arab Emirates, barring batting consultant Matthew Hayden who is not available due to prior commitments. Pakistan T20I squad Babar Azam (captain, Central Punjab) Shadab Khan (vice-captain, Northern) Asif Ali (Northern) Fakhar Zaman (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Haider Ali (Northern) Haris Rauf (Northern) Hasan Ali (Central Punjab) Iftikhar Ahmed (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Imad Wasim (Northern) Khushdil Shah (Southern Punjab) Mohammad Nawaz (Northern) Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Mohammad Wasim Jnr (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper, Sindh) Shaheen Shah Afridi (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) Shahnawaz Dahani (Sindh) Shoaib Malik (Central Punjab) Usman Qadir (Central Punjab) Player Support Personnel: Mansoor Rana (manager), Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Shahid Aslam (assistant to head coach), Vernon Philander (bowling consultant; 3 T20Is and 1st Test), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Drikus Saaiman (strength and conditioning coach), Abdul Majeed (fielding coach), Talha Ejaz (team analyst), Col (retd) Muhammad Imran (Security Manager), Ibrahim Badees (media and digital manager), Dr Najeeb Soomro (team doctor) and Malang Ali (Masseur)

SAAD KAYANI Karachi, 8 November 2021: A brilliant century by player of the match Deandra Dottin scripted West Indies Women’s to 45-run win over Pakistan Women in the first One-Day International at National Stadium on Monday. The West Indies opener smashed 132 off 146 balls and smoked 18 fours and two sixes after Pakistan’s stand-in captain Sidra Nawaz opted to bowl after winning the toss. This was Dottin’s best score in the format. Dottin added 119 runs for the third wicket with Hayley Matthews, who scored 57 off 67 (eight fours), as their partnership set the platform for the tourists to post 253 for eight before Shemaine Campbelle scored a brisk 23 off 20. Dottin’s century and the eventual Pakistan defeat eclipsed Anam Amin’s maiden five-wicket haul. The left-arm orthodox from Lahore returned five for 35 with two of her 10 overs being maiden. Anam accounted for Dottin, Rashada Williams (15 off 40), Hayley Matthews, Campbelle and Kycia Knight (six off six). Birthday girl Fatima Sana, who came into this match after recording a five-wicket haul in the fifth and final ODI against West Indies in Antigua in July, took two for 65. This match marked a significant moment in the 20-year-old’s career as she opened the bowling for Pakistan against the very opposition to whom she bowled as a net bowler when they were in the city two years ago for three T20Is. Pakistan crumbled in their reply. Opener Sidra Amin was caught on the last ball of the second over and one-drop Ayesha Zafar was LBW on the last ball of the eighth over. Both batters were sent packing by Shakera Selman. Iram Javed fought back with a 34-ball 40 as she added 57 runs for the fourth wicket with Kainat Imtiaz (24 off 60), but the dismissal of the former pretty much settled the game in the tourists favour. Aliya Riaz top-scored with 46 off 61 (three fours). She was run out in the 47th over with Pakistan 56 runs away from the target. The two teams will play the second ODI on 11 November at the same venue. Scores in brief: West Indies Women 253-8, 50 overs (Deandra Dottin 132, Hayley Matthews 57, Shemaine Campbelle 23; Anam Amin 5-35, Fatima Sana 2-65) Pakistan Women 208-9, 50 overs (Aliya Riaz 46, Iram Javed 40, Muneeba Ali 28, Kainat Imtiaz 24, Sidra Nawaz 23; Hayley Mathews 3-31, Shakera Selman 2-35) Player of the match - Deandra Dottin

SPORTS BULLETIN REPORT Dubai (November 8, 2021):-The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved James Vince as a replacement for Jason Roy in the England squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 has approved James Vince as a replacement for Jason Roy in the England squad. Right hand batter Vince, who has played 13 Tests, 19 ODIs and 13 T20Is, was named as a replacement after Roy was ruled out due to a calf injury. Vince was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements. The replacement of a player requires the approval of the Event Technical Committee before the replacement player can be officially added to the squad. The Event Technical Committee of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 consists of Chris Tetley (Head of Events, Chair), Clive Hitchcock (ICC Senior Cricket Operations Manager), Rahul Dravid and Dhiraj Malhotra (BCCI Representatives), Simon Doull and Ian Bishop (Independent Members).

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (November 8, 2021):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) today announced details of Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998, which will take place in March and April 2022, and comprise three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I. The Tests will take place in Karachi (3-7 March), Rawalpindi (12-16 March) and Lahore (21-25 March), while Lahore will be the venue for the four white-ball matches to be played from 29 March to 5 April. The Tests will be played as part of the ICC World Test Championship, while the ODIs will be connected to the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League – a 13-team event from which the seven highest-placed sides and the hosts, India, will qualify directly for the event proper in 2023. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja, who played eight Tests and 18 ODIs against Australia: “I am delighted to welcome Australia to Pakistan. From a personal point of view, it pleases me no end that we’ll be engaged in a three-Test match series, connoisseurs delight. “Australia are one of the high-performing sides and them playing in our backyard for the first time after a gap of 24 years will be a special treat for the fans. “Likewise, it will be a great opportunity for the Australia cricketers to not only play at our iconic venues but also feel and enjoy the respect, love and hospitality that this great country offers, something which most of their previous generation of cricketers missed out by playing offshore.” Cricket Australia Chief Executive Nick Hockley: “Cricket Australia is excited about the prospect of touring Pakistan next year for what will be a highly anticipated series in a country so incredibly passionate about the game and their national team. “Pakistan is a formidable opposition with an exceptionally talented team, as evidenced by their dynamic performances in the current ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the UAE. “We thank the PCB for their considerable efforts in planning for the tour and look forward to continuing to work closely over the coming months to finalise the necessary operations, logistics, security and Covid-19 protocols. “The safety and welfare of our players and staff remains our number one priority, and we will continue to work with the PCB and relevant agencies to ensure that appropriate and sufficient arrangements are put in place for the tour.” As part of the reconnoitering process, Cricket Australia’s delegation will visit Pakistan to meet with PCB officials as well as provincial and federal authorities to discuss and finalise matters relating to team operations, logistics, security and Covid-19 protocols. Australia last toured Pakistan in 1998-99 when Mark Taylor led them to a 1-0 series victory – their first since Richie Benaud’s side defeated Fazal Mahmood’s team by 2-0 in the 1959-60 series. Between the two series, Pakistan hosted Australia in 1964-65 (drew 0-0), 1979-80 (won 1-0), 1982-83 (won 3-0), 1988-89 (won 1-0) and 1994-95 (won 1-0). Pakistan staged the last four series with Australia offshore – 2002-2003 (Colombo and Sharjah, Pakistan lost 3-0), 2010 (drew 1-1 in England), 2014-15 (won 2-0 in the UAE) and 2018-19 (won 1-0 in the UAE). Schedule: 3-7 Mar – 1st Test, Karachi 12-16 Mar – 2nd Test, Rawalpindi 21-25 Mar – 3rd Test, Lahore 29 Mar – 1st ODI, Lahore 31 Mar – 2nd ODI, Lahore 2 Apr – 3rd ODI, Lahore 5 Apr – only T20I, Lahore

Aamir Ali Janjua SHARJAH (November 7, 2021):-Pakistan saw off Scotland by 72 runs to top Group 2, preserve a perfect record and set up a semi-final clash with Australia at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Skipper Babar Azam made 66 and Shoaib Malik clubbed an incredible 18-ball fifty as Pakistan posted 189 for four from their 20 overs, having chosen to bat. Despite Richie Berrington’s defiant unbeaten 54, Scotland only managed 117 for six in reply as their campaign ended in defeat. The most prolific batter in the Super 12s, Babar set about compiling his fifth half-century with consummate ease, starting with a sumptuous cover drive for four off Hamza Tahir. Babar’s opening partnership with Mohammad Rizwan has yielded two century stands and the keeper-batter launched Brad Wheal for a massive six over cow corner in the fifth over. It wasn’t the day for another big partnership however as Tahir tossed one up and drew an under-edge from Rizwan that was well held by Matt Cross, dismissing him for 15. Babar was unperturbed and hit the roof of the Sharjah Cricket Stadium with a maximum from Mark Watt’s bowling. But the 27-year-old star lost another partner as Fakhar Zaman holed out to cow corner for eight to continue his lean run of form and make it 59 for two. Mohammad Hafeez came to the crease and acted as a foil to his captain, who continued to torment the Scottish attack, taking Watt for successive fours with power and poise. Hafeez really hit his straps in the 15th over, sending Safyaan Sharif flying fully 97 metres over long-on, then back-to-back fours before being trapped LBW for an entertaining 31. Watt has been Scotland’s key weapon with the ball but found his economy rate ruined further with a brutal bottom-handed six from Malik to kickstart his innings. It was Watt’s spin twin, leg-spinner Chris Greaves, who had most joy and his control was rewarded with the big wicket of Babar, who picked out George Munsey at long on to depart for 66. Malik took aim at Sharif and struck two further massive blows over midwicket and then down the arc to take the penultimate over for 17 runs. Then Greaves bore the full brunt of the veteran batter, who hit the last four legal deliveries of the innings for three sixes and a four to bring up Pakistan’s fastest-ever T20I fifty. The run chase always looked a tall order for Scotland, whose high score in the tournament was 165, and they made a steady if unspectacular start. They reached 23 for none with George Munsey finding scoring easier than his captain Kyle Coetzer, who was clean bowled by Hasan Ali for nine in the sixth over. Pakistan struck again when Imad Wasim palmed a low Munsey drive onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end to run Cross out for five. And Shadab Khan broke the backbone of the Scotland batting order with two wickets in three balls midway through the innings. Munsey departed on the first ball after drinks when he nicked to short third man and Dylan Budge was bowled for a third-ball duck to make it 41 for four. Scotland’s most consistent batter Berrington built an excellent partnership with Michael Leask, that started when Berrington whipped Hasan Ali for two boundaries in three balls. Berrington dominated the scoring in a partnership of 46, to which Leask added 14 at a run-a-ball before being comprehensively bowled by Shaheen Shah Afridi for 14. Berrington forged on and then smacked Hasan over long-on for six before bringing up an excellent fifty from 34 balls. Haris Rauf got Greaves for four in the final over as Scotland finished their 20 overs on 117 for six, a full 72 runs short, with Berrington ending unbeaten on 54. The semifinals will see Group 1 toppers England take on New Zealand in Abu Dhabi on 10 November while Group 2 toppers Pakistan will play Australia in Dubai on 11 November. The final will be played in Dubai on 14 November. The complete results and fixtures are available on the page here and the points table here Scores in brief Pakistan beat Scotland at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah by 72 runs Pakistan 189/4 in 20 overs (Babar Azam 66, Shoaib Malik 54 not out; Chris Greaves 2/43, Hamza Tahir 1/24) Scotland 117/6 in 20 overs (Richie Berrington 54 not out, George Munsey 17; Shadab Khan 2/14, Shaheen Shah Afridi 1/24) Player of the Match: Shoaib Malik (Pakistan)

Sports Bulletin Report Abu Dhabi (November 7, 2021):-New Zealand sealed their place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 semi-finals in style courtesy of a comfortable eight-wicket win over Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi. Kane Williamson and Devon Conway’s unbroken 68-run third-wicket stand saw the Black Caps home with 11 balls to spare, securing their place as one of two Group 2 qualifiers alongside Pakistan and eliminating India in the process. Afghanistan had begun the match with slim qualifying hopes of their own but a poor start with the bat left them on the back foot on 19 for three. Najibullah Zadran’s sparkling 73 inspired a revival but Trent Boult was exceptional once more with the ball, taking three for 17 to limit Afghanistan to 124 for eight. And though New Zealand lost both openers in reply, Williamson and Conway – who finished unbeaten on 40 and 36 respectively – combined to steer their side home with a minimum of fuss and set up a semi-final with either England or Australia. Afghanistan opted to bat upon winning the toss but saw both openers dismissed in quick succession as New Zealand’s fast bowlers gained an early stranglehold. Mohammad Shahzad was superbly caught behind by Devon Conway attempting an upper-cut off Adam Milne before Trent Boult induced a leading edge from Hazratullah Zazai, whose departure left Afghanistan 12 for two. Tim Southee was next to strike, trapping Rahmanullah Gurbaz lbw, as the score limped to 23 for three by the end of the powerplay – the third lowest total after six overs in the tournament so far. Najibullah settled in more smoothly than his predecessors at the crease and got the scoreboard moving with consecutive boundaries off Jimmy Neesham. Another boundary off Ish Sodhi took Afghanistan past 50 but the spinner struck back in somewhat fortuitous fashion when a short ball was chopped on to his stumps by Gulbadin Naib. His departure saw Afghanistan reach the halfway point on 56 for four and Najibullah was content to nudge singles before stepping on the accelerator once more in the 14th over. Two sixes off Mitchell Santner, over long-on and deep midwicket respectively, took the run rate back above six, and Najibullah soon brought up his second half-century of the tournament – this one from 33 balls. He cleared the ropes again off Southee as Afghanistan looked for valuable late runs, though the seamer picked up his second scalp by holding a return catch to dismiss Mohammad Nabi for 14. The ever-reliable Boult then brought Najibullah's fine innings to an end, Neesham taking a fine diving catch at long-off, and also accounted for Karim Janat in a typically clinical death over. Neesham followed up by conceding just two from the final over, which also included the wicket of Rashid Khan from its final ball as Afghanistan set the Black Caps 125 to win. Knowing victory would be enough on its own, without net run-rate entering the equation, Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell made a steady start to the chase to lay the foundations. Mitchell cut the returning Mujeeb Ur Rahman to the point boundary but with the opening partnership worth 26, the spinner had his revenge in his next over by finding the batter’s outside edge. Williamson joined Guptill to safely negotiate the remainder of the powerplay, which concluded with consecutive Guptill boundaries off Mujeeb to take New Zealand to 45 for one. But the opener found life tougher against Rashid and fell aiming a heave at the spinner, who wheeled away to celebrate his 400th T20 wicket and give his side fresh hope. With Nabi’s off-breaks proving just as hard to get away, the Black Caps reached the halfway point of the chase on 61 for two – just five runs better off than Afghanistan at the same stage. Afghanistan continued to apply pressure, bringing close fielders in as the required rate ticked towards seven an over, and Williamson’s clip through the leg-side off Rashid midway through the 12th over brought his side’s first boundary for 33 balls. A typically elegant drive off Gulbadin brought the Black Caps skipper four more and Conway then made effective use of the sweep against Nabi, picking up consecutive boundaries before reverse sweeping Rashid through third man. The 50-run partnership came up in the 16th over as the pair continued to guide their side towards the finish line and Conway knocked the winning single down the ground from the first ball of the 19th over to seal his side’s progress. New Zealand will now wait until the conclusion of Pakistan’s clash with Scotland to discover their semi-final opponents. Should Pakistan win, New Zealand will finish second and take on England in Semi Final 1 in Abu Dhabi on 10 November. If Scotland are successful and the Black Caps finish top of the group, they will take on Australia in Semi Final 2 in Dubai the following day. Scores in brief New Zealand beat Afghanistan at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi by eight wickets Afghanistan 124/8 in 20 overs (Najibullah Zadran 73; Trent Boult 3/17, Tim Southee 2/24) New Zealand 125/2 in 18.1 overs (Kane Williamson 40 not out, Devon Conway 36 not out; Rashid Khan 1/27, Mujeeb Ur Rahman 1/31) Player of the Match: Trent Boult (New Zealand)