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Afghanistan’s 2024 T20 World Cup campaign is off to a fantastic start. They defeated Uganda handily in the first game, then destroyed New Zealand to secure their spot in the Super Eight.
Afghanistan competed in the Super 12 in the previous edition in 2022, however they were eliminated after losing three games and drawing none of the other two.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, their openers, have been largely responsible for their success thus far this year. They scored 154 more runs in their matches against Uganda and New Zealand, with fifty-five runs from Gurbaz in each. On the other hand, there hasn’t been enough time for the middle order. They could suffer the same fate as they nearly did against New Zealand when they lost 6 for 55 following their opening stand.
It can be their weak point when playing nearly-men PNG. Even though they haven’t won a game yet, they had the West Indies struggling after holding them to 136 in their first encounter. They made Uganda work hard for a target of 78 in their subsequent match.
Though Afghanistan has the abilities for such, the slow conditions in Tarouba could level the playing field. At the Brian Lara Stadium, PNG’s abundance of medium-pacers and spinners would aim to make an impression. And since their chances of making the Super Eight depend, among other things, on PNG defeating Afghanistan, the team will have a sizable contingent of New Zealand supporters rooting for them.
In T20 Internationals, PNG’s top wicket-taker is seamer Norman Vanua. In the tournament’s first game, the team felt his absence. However, he returned to form against Uganda, going 2 for 19 to keep the team in the game. All eyes will be on Vanua once more as PNG aims to win the competition for the first time.