New Zealand qualified for the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup with an eight-wicket win over Afghanistan, who have been eliminated along with India in the process.
India needed Afghanistan to beat the Black Caps, before also having to beat Namibia themselves, but it was not to be as victory for Kane Williamson's men sees them progress from Group 2 along with Pakistan, with England and Australia already through from Group 1.
Any other outcome rarely looked likely in Abu Dhabi as Afghanistan got off to a cumbersome start in their innings, only managing 23 runs for the loss of three wickets during the powerplay.
Najibullah Zadran was the only batsman to impress, hitting 73 from 48 balls including six boundaries and three sixes, before being caught by Jimmy Neesham off the bowling of Trent Boult.
Boult was the pick of the New Zealand bowlers with 3-17, though Tim Southee (2-24) became the second all-time leading wicket taker for the Black Caps in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup history as Afghanistan were limited to 124-8.
A fast start for New Zealand saw 26 runs come from the first three overs, only for Daryl Mitchell (17) to fall from the first ball of the fourth over, caught behind off the bowling of Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Rashid Khan, who had already made history in the tournament by taking 100 wickets in T20Is in the fewest innings (53), clinched his 400th wicket in the format, clean bowling Martin Guptill for 28.
Despite that minor setback, New Zealand eases to victory, with Williamson (four) and Devon Conway (36) knocking off the remainder of the total.
Najibullah effort in vain
At times it felt like a one-man-innings from Afghanistan, with Najibullah hitting 73 of their 124 runs himself. Without him, it is doubtful his team-mates would have reached three figures.
Najibullah ended the tournament as his team's top scorer, knocking 172 runs in his five innings.
Williamson gets everything right
The New Zealand captain knew how crucial victory was here, and followed up a superb innings for his team in the field by calmly seeing them home with the bat to book their place in the semi-finals.
Williamson and Conway were happy to score around a run a ball, taking no risks and comfortably reaching the modest target set by Afghanistan. The Black Caps have now won each of their last four T20 World Cup matches; the only other time they have enjoyed a four-match winning run at the tournament was in March 2016.
Maxwell leads Australia to opening T20I victory
Glenn Maxwell's impressive 43 powered Australia to a 29-run victory over Pakistan in their opening T20I, which was heavily affected by rain.
Both teams were able to play seven overs each after a thunderstorm in Brisbane delayed proceedings, but it did not affect Australia's performance as they took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.
Matt Short (7) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (9) were both taken early, but Maxwell's 43 off 19 balls, which included eight boundaries, turned the tide.
Abbas Afridi (2-9) took him and Tim David (10), but with Marcus Stoinis' 21, the damage was already done as Australia finished 93-4.
Pakistan struggled to gain any momentum, with none of their first six batters hitting double figures and Sahibzada Farhan's eight was the best of that group.
The wickets toppled thanks to Xavier Bartlett (3-13) and Nathan Ellis (3-9), and even though Afridi salvaged some pride with his unbeaten 20 to help them reach 64-9, they fell short of their target.
Data Debrief: Home advantage
Despite the shortened nature of the game, Australia still made their mark in some style. They extended their winning run in Brisbane in the process, with this their fifth T20I victory in a row at The Gabba.
On the other side, Babar Azam will have been hoping for a better performance on what was a landmark day for him - he has now made the outright most appearances for Pakistan in T20Is (124), overtaking Shoaib Malik. He also broke the record for the most catches by a fielder in T20Is for Pakistan (52), going past Fakhar Zaman's 50.
Australia 0-0 Saudi Arabia: Visitors denied last-gasp winner on Renard's return
Saudi Arabia had a stoppage-time goal ruled out as Herve Renard's first game since returning as Saudi Arabia head coach ended in a 0-0 draw against Australia in World Cup qualifying.
Sultan Al-Ghannam fired through a sea of bodies in the 94th minute of Thursday's Group C contest at AAMI Park, but the celebrations were cut short due to an offside infringement.
Referee Ali Saeed Al Naqbi had earlier irked the home side by awarding a 12th-minute penalty for an Ahmed Al-Kassar challenge on Mitch Duke, which was then overturned.
Replays showed the incident happened just outside the box, but Australia felt the Saudi keeper should have been sent off and not issued just a yellow card.
Joe Gauci pulled off a fine double save later in the first half, albeit the offside flag later went up, but it was Australia who did more to win the game prior to the late drama.
Brandon Borrello was played clean through on goal and opted to square to Riley McGree, who was unable to help the ball past covering defender Saud Abdulhamid in front of goal.
Data Debrief: Another blank for both sides
Australia entered this game without a goal against Saudi Arabia in 2,716 days - a run that will extend for a little while longer after this latest blank.
The Socceroos have failed to score in three of their five third-round qualifying games, while Saudi Arabia have gone three in a row without netting.
Tony Popovic's side will justifiably argue they did more to win the game, though, finishing with an expected goals value (xG) of 1.31 to Saudi Arabia's 0.05, but the teams remain locked on points in Group C.
Dr Tara Wilkinson-McLean joins ICC Future Leaders Programme
The Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League’s (CPL) Head of Partner Servicing, Dr Tara Wilkinson McClean has been selected to take part in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Future Leaders Programme and will be engaging in a number of in person and online sessions with other female cricket administrators from around the world over the next 10 months.
Barbados national Dr Wilkinson-McClean has been working with the CPL since 2013 in a number of roles dealing with the tournament’s commercial partners. She was recently promoted to the role of Head of Partner Servicing where she runs a team who deliver sponsorship assets.
Launched in 2021, the Future Leaders Programme has sought to address the underrepresentation of females in leadership positions within cricket by offering online mentorship opportunities for future leaders, pairing them with senior figures to promote and support their career development.
Building on the positive impact of previous editions, the 2024 offering is specifically tailored for female cricket administrators, who are set to benefit from an extended programme duration, where successful candidates will connect in a combination of face-to-face and online learning opportunities.
The course comprises two three-day in-person workshops, supported by project work, mentoring and online masterclasses delivered by former Australia captain and ICC Hall of Famer, Belinda Clark AO.
Pete Russell, Republic Bank CPL’s CEO, said: “Tara has been a hugely important part of the CPL team over the last decade and it is fantastic to see her selected for this hugely prestigious ICC initiative. The CPL is very proud of the fantastic female members on our team and it is pleasing to see the ICC investing in the further development of strong cricket administrators like Tara.”
Dr Tara Wilkinson-McClean, Republic Bank CPL’s Head of Partner Servicing, said: “Being selected for the ICC Cricket Future Leaders Programme is a huge honour. Connecting with like-minded women from various arenas on a similar trajectory and being exposed to global leaders in business and sport is a game changer. I would like to thank the ICC for giving me this opportunity and CPL for their overwhelming support for my participation.”
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