Afghanistan triumph again as Bermuda fall short

Giantkillers Afghanistan claimed another 2011 Cricket World Cup Qualifier victim Thursday with a 60-run triumph over Bermuda in Potchefstroom.

The team that won tournaments in Jersey, Tanzania and Argentina to reach the final qualifying stage for the World Cup made 239-9 in 50 overs before dismissing their opponents for 179.

It was the second victory for the war-torn nation in as many days and they look set to reach the Super Eights phase, where the top four finishers secure places at the 2011 World Cup in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Wicketkeeper Karim Sadiq, whose bowling helped fashion a five-wicket victory over Denmark Wednesday, displayed his batting prowess with 83 runs off 103 balls spiced by 10 fours.

Nowroz Mangal was the other batting star, making 71 from 77 balls before being run out by David Hemp and Asghar Stanikzai contributed a useful 38 at South African ODI venue Senwes Park.

Bermuda began the run chase disastrously, losing openers Lionel Cann and Jekon Edness with just seven runs on the board, before Glenn Blakeney and Steven Outerbridge staged a 118-run third-wicket stand.

But Mohammad Nabi clean bowled Blakeney (68) to trigger a steady fall of wickets and Bermuda never seriously threatened to overtake the Afghanis in the north-west university town.

Victorious coach Kabir Khan praised the teamwork of his young team, many of whom honed their skills in Pakistan refugee camps after fleeing the conflict in their homeland.

"Our players are sharing responsibilities now. I worry as a coach when you have to rely on one or two players because if they do not perform, you lose the game," said Kabir.

"Everybody is chipping in and that is very important. There are no main players in the team anymore. Everybody is given a role and everybody is performing.

"Beating Bermuda makes me happy and I think we are good enough to defeat higher-ranked teams. I am looking forward to the chance of proving it," said the former Pakistan Test and ODI player.

On Saturday, Afghanistan face Kenya, who recovered from a first-day loss to Netherlands with a nine-wicket victory over a United Arab Emirates side that made just 79 runs as Lameck Onyango claimed a career-best 6-14 in 10 overs.