Afghanistan took another giant step in ODI cricket after crushing South Africa in a six-wicket victory with 24 overs to spare on Wednesday.

Fazalhaq Farooqi led the way with figures of 4-35, ably supported by Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar's 3-20 and Rashid Khan taking 2-30, as Jonathan Trott's side bowled South Africa out for just 106 in Sharjah.

Wiaan Mulder offered some brief resistance with 52, though only three other Proteas batters managed double figures, and that underwhelming total left Afghanistan with a routine chase.

Though Bjorn Fortuin impressed with an economical 2-22, Azmatullah Omarzai's unbeaten 25 and Gulbadin Naib finishing 34 not out helped Afghanistan to their first-ever win over South Africa with ease.

Data Debrief: ODI world takes note 

This victory marked a maiden win for Afghanistan over South Africa and their third-biggest victory in terms of balls to spare against a Test-playing nation.

It comes as no surprise, though, as Afghanistan have beaten England, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand and Australia in white-ball internationals in the last 11 months.

A transformative period under coach Trott has been underpinned by star Khan, though it was team-mates Farooqi and Ghazanfar who impressed here.

Indeed, Ghazanfar bowled 47 dot balls from his 10-over spell, removing Tristan Stubbs, Kyle Verreynne and Jason Smith, while Farooqi provided a dominant opening up top against a poor Proteas.

Suryakumar Yadav and Jasprit Bumrah led India to a 47-run defeat of Italy at the T20 World Cup on Thursday.

India started their Super 8s campaign in style in Barbados, with Suryakumar's 28-ball 53 propelling them to 181-8 from their 20 overs.

Virat Kohli added 24, with Hardik Pandya contributing a useful 30 too, though Fazalhaq Farooqi, the tournament's leading wicket-taker, finished with impressive figures of 3-33.

Yet Farooqi was outshone by Bumrah, who was the star of India's bowling attack.

Bumrah took 3-7 as he skittled through Afghanistan's top order, reducing them to 23-3 inside five overs.

Arshdeep Singh (3-36) rounded matters off, sending Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq and Noor Ahmad packing to bowl Afghanistan all out for 134.

The victory sent India to the top of Group One, ahead of Australia's clash with Bangladesh.

Data Debrief: More history for Kohli

Kohli might have taken a backseat in this win, but his haul of 24 saw him move onto 4,066 runs in T20Is.

That makes Kohli India's record run scorer in the format, with the 35-year-old having surpassed Rohit Sharma (4,050).

Afghanistan’s Head coach Jonathan Trott and seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi praised the assistance of bowling consultant Dwayne Bravo, whose expertise they believe has been integral to their success in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup so far.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACC) appointed Bravo prior to the global showpiece, and their decision has so far proven fruitful, as the former Trinidad and Tobago and West Indies all-rounder’s influence has been invaluable to their charge.

Contesting Group C alongside co-host West Indies, Afghanistan have been rampant so far, as they easily brushed aside Uganda, Papua New Guinea and New Zealand, on their way to qualifying for the Super Eight knockout phase.

Bravo, 40, a legend in the game’s shortest format, featured in the West Indies 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cup titles, and more importantly has played over 550 matches, and this experience that he brings to the Afghanistan setup has certainly been felt.

“Obviously, Bravo is really well-respected. His work ethic is great, along with the other coaches. His knowledge of the game and the amount of T20 cricket he has played, the conditions and obviously his knowledge of the local grounds and how they are going to play (are great assets),” Trott said, during the post-game briefing after their seven-wicket win over PNG on Thursday.

"I've obviously played against him and getting to spend a lot of time with him is great and it is great to have him on our side. He works with the bowlers and he works with the batters as well. He was a really good all-rounder, wasn't he? Lots of experience to draw from and we are pleased we've secured his services," the former England star added.

Farooqi, who has taken a tournament-high 12 wickets at the T20 World Cup, says Bravo has given them valuable insights on how to bowl at critical stages of the match.

"DJ Bravo, I have been with him from the last four years. I have played with him in the same team. He knows me and I know how big a player he is. He gives us tips on how we bowl in the death, how we bowl in crucial situations. He is a big player. He is a mentor to us," he said.

"He has given me ideas on how I should bowl in the death in the pressure time. How I should use the slow ball, how I should use the long ball (yorker). That for us is a good thing," Farooqi noted.

Afghanistan will play West Indies on Monday in their final preliminary round match, which is merely to decide, who will enter the knockout stages with their unbeaten record intact.

For the Super Eight, Afghanistan are drawn alongside Australia and India, with Bangladesh or Netherlands to be their next opponent.

Afghanistan made a statement of intent as they opened their T20 World Cup campaign with a 125-run victory over debutants Uganda.

With matches against the West Indies and New Zealand to come in Group C, Jonathan Trott's side were quick out of the blocks in Guyana.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz (76) and Ibrahim Zadran (70) led the way with an impressive opening stand of 154 after 14.3.overs.

However, Afghanistan collapsed somewhat later on, adding just 29 more runs as they finished at 183-5.

Nevertheless, they were quick to ensure Uganda were unable to build any momentum. Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Ronak Patel and Roger Mukasa in consecutive deliveries during the first over.

Indeed, it was a true baptism of fire for the T20 World Cup debutants, who were bowled out for just 58 with four overs still remaining.

Data Debrief

Afghanistan set the tone with a fast start in Georgetown. Zadran and Gurbaz's opening stand of 154 was the second-highest in T20 World Cup history, behind only the 170 of England's Jos Buttler and Alex Hales against India two years ago.

Farooqi then took centre stage in the field, claiming his first five-wicket haul in T20Is and conceding just nine runs - four of which came from his first ball. His 5-9 was the fourth-highest figure in tournament history.

Johnson Charles and Rovman Powell both played starring roles to help the Delhi Bulls get their second win in as many games in the 2023 Abu Dhabi T10 League on Friday with a 65-run triumph over the Chennai Braves at the Zayed Cricket Stadium.

Charles made a 21-ball 40 opening the batting including four fours and two sixes while skipper Powell, batting at five, hit 35 off just 15 balls including one four and four sixes to help the Bulls post an intimidating 126-6 off their 10 overs after being put in to bat.

Englishman James Vince also showed good form with 37 off 14 balls. Obed McCoy and Junaid Siddique had identical figures of 2-18 from two overs.

Chennai’s chase then came up significantly short, being bowled out for just 61 in 8.5 overs.

Only Mohammad Nabi was able to crack double figures with 25 as Fazalhaq Farooqi (2-8 from two overs), Muhammad Rohid (2-14 from two overs), Naveen-ul-Haq (2-22 from two overs) and Ravi Bopara (2-4 from five balls) combined to produce an excellent display of bowling.