Afghanistan qualify for the World Cup! Stanikzai punches his fist in the air repeatedly. Heartbreak for Ireland. Heartbreak for Zimbabwe. Off-stump yorker, Stanikzai jabs his bat down and sends a thick inside edge past the leg stump
Ireland vs Afghanistan, 33rd Match, Super Sixes at Harare, Mar 23 2018 - Ball by Ball Commentary
RESULT
33rd Match, Super Sixes, Harare, March 23, 2018, ICC Cricket World Cup Qualifier
209/7
(49.1/50 ov, T:210) 213/5
Afghanistan won by 5 wickets (with 5 balls remaining)
New
AFG
Full commentary
5.05pm There we have our two qualifiers for the 2019 World Cup: West Indies and Afghanistan. Afghanistan's players collectively roar: "WE ARE IN!". Afghanistan had lost their first three games but then won four in a row to become the tenth and final team to qualify for the World Cup. Shahzad has already issued a warning to West Indies. Hope you enjoyed our coverage as much as we did bringing it to you. This is Deivarayan Muthu signing off on the behalf of Varun Shetty and P Ranjith. Cheers. Be back for the final on Sunday.
Hamid Seddiqi: "Whole Kabul is shaking with celebrations..."
5pm Let's hear from the two captains. Porterfield: First of all congratulations to Afghanistan. We were probably 25 runs short. Then again in games like this we can't fault anyone. We get back for some rest and recuperation. We had opportunities but we lost three games. We had some key moments but could not take it. Big things on the horizon.
Stanikzai: I am in too much pain but I was playing for the country. It is our dream to qualify for the World Cup. Afghanistan team played bad in first half but they played well and they believed in themselves.
4.45pm Who writes your scripts, Afghanistan? They did not have their captain Stanikzai in the league phase. Their key batsman Mohammad Shahzad was suspended for two matches. Their stand-in captain Rashid Khan said: "Sometimes a tournament doesn't go your way." They barely made it to the Super Sixes. Nepal then handed them a lifeline, then UAE handed them another lifeline. Afghanistan suffered a middle-order wobble today, and it looked like anybody's game in the end overs. Captain Stanikzai, coming back from a bout of appendicitis, eventually sealed Afghanistan's World Cup spot.
Shahzad, Man of the Match: We lost a couple of matches but we played good cricket in the Super Sixes. We had to win this game. The plan is simple: I was waiting for the loose ball and then I don't care. I just hit the boundaries. I believe in myself. The coaching staff say 'just play your natural game'. Oh! I can't believe we have qualified for the World Cup. Let's see West Indies, we are coming! (Shahzad points right at the camera)
Shahzad in #Bossmode. He's leading the Champyaan dance. Great scenes in the Afghanistan camp.
rb: "Amazing ! After loosing first 3 games, AFG needed to win all the rest & still required a very specific set of results in the other matches"
49.1
4
McCarthy to Asghar, FOUR runs
Afghanistan need one off the last over. This is all but over for Ireland and Zimbabwe
end of over 496 runs
AFG: 209/5CRR: 4.26 • RRR: 1.00
Asghar Afghan35 (28b 3x4 1x6)
Najibullah Zadran17 (15b 1x6)
Boyd Rankin 10-0-41-1
Tim Murtagh 10-0-46-0
James: "Takes it to the final over. MS Dhoni in disguise!"
48.6
1
Rankin to Asghar, 1 run
short on middle stump, miscues a pull over midwicket. Scorers are level
48.5
•
Rankin to Asghar, no run
short and rising into the body, the batsman rises with it, fends to point
48.4
2
Rankin to Asghar, 2 runs
on a length and outside off, dabbed away fine of third man. Stanikzai hobbles back for the second
Ujjwal: "Miraclous performance by Afganistan throughout this tournament. They struggled to get into Super Sixes and now this. Brilliant!"
48.3
•
Rankin to Asghar, no run
Has Stanikzai feathered it behind? There's a little noise and Niall is excited. Back of a length and outside off, he cuts away from the body and misses
48.2
1
Rankin to Zadran, 1 run
Najib backs away outside leg, this is darted short and wide outside off. Upper cut away over backward point
48.1
2
Rankin to Zadran, 2 runs
back of a length and sliding onto the leg stump, picked away fine of long leg. Balbirnie slides in the deep and hauls the ball back into the field of play. Just two in the end
Afghanistan need 7 off 12 balls
end of over 489 runs
AFG: 203/5CRR: 4.22 • RRR: 3.50
Najibullah Zadran14 (13b 1x6)
Asghar Afghan32 (24b 3x4 1x6)
Tim Murtagh 10-0-46-0
Boyd Rankin 9-0-35-1
47.6
1
Murtagh to Zadran, 1 run
chest-high short ball on middle, this is more a short-arm flap than a short-arm pull. The ball sneaks away to the leg side
47.5
6
Murtagh to Zadran, SIX runs
full and angling away outside off, right in the swinging arc, Najib clears his front leg and tonks it hiiiiiiiiiiiiigh over midwicket. Launched into the stands. He narrows the gap with a mighty blow
47.4
•
Murtagh to Zadran, no run
back of a length on off, cramps the batsman for room, clipped straight to short midwicket
47.3
2
Murtagh to Zadran, 2 runs
back of a length and angling across off stump, swiped away to the right of long leg. Rankin isn't the quickest in the outfield and Afghanistan take two runs
47.2
•
Murtagh to Zadran, no run
on a length and on a fourth-stump line, whisked to short midwicket again. Down to a run a ball again
47.1
•
Murtagh to Zadran, no run
very full and attacking the stumps, Najib camps back and works the ball straight to short midwicket
Stanikzai needs some treatment. He had missed the start of the tournament because of a bout of appendicitis. Afghanistan need 16 off 18 balls
Aditya: "I reckon Ireland made a mistake by not giving Stirling some overs as spinners did make an impact."
end of over 474 runs
AFG: 194/5CRR: 4.12 • RRR: 5.33
Najibullah Zadran5 (7b)
Asghar Afghan32 (24b 3x4 1x6)
Boyd Rankin 9-0-35-1
Tim Murtagh 9-0-37-0
46.6
1
Rankin to Zadran, 1 run
shorter and outside off, glided away to the right of Simi now
46.5
•
Rankin to Zadran, no run
back of a length and slanting away outside off, punched crisply but Simi throws himself to his right from backward point to stop the ball
46.4
2
Rankin to Zadran, 2 runs
short on the hips, deflected behind square on the leg side. Stanikzai rushes back for the second and clutches his side
46.3
•
Rankin to Zadran, no run
back of a length and hits the bat hard again as opposed to bat hitting ball. Defended to the off side
46.2
•
Rankin to Zadran, no run
Rankin finds extra bounce and attacks the body, Najib looks away and splices it to point
46.1
1
Rankin to Asghar, 1 run
back of a length and outside off, extends his hands and carves it away to deep point for a single
Afghanistan need 20 off 24 balls. They can breathe easy now. Can Rankin shake things up again. He runs in from over the wicket
end of over 468 runs
AFG: 190/5CRR: 4.13 • RRR: 5.00
Asghar Afghan31 (23b 3x4 1x6)
Najibullah Zadran2 (2b)
Tim Murtagh 9-0-37-0
Barry McCarthy 9-0-53-1
45.6
1
Murtagh to Asghar, 1 run
very full on the pads, nudged to deep square leg
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