Fazalhaq Farooqi added another three victims to his tournament-leading wicket tally as Afghanistan bundled out Papua New Guinea for 95 off 19.5 overs batting first in their Group C match at the T20 World Cup at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Thursday.
In pursuit of a third victory in as many matches to confirm a spot in the Super Eight phase of the competition, Farooqi spearheaded another impressive Afghan bowling effort, taking two quick wickets after PNG captain Assad Vala inadvertently opened the door for his opponents when he was carelessly run out in the second over of the match.
Two more run outs followed and Farooqi returned in the 19th over to claim another scalp to finish with three for 16 before a fourth run out ended the innings.
He now has 12 wickets in the tournament, four more than the trio of South African pacer Anrich Nortje, fast bowler Alzarri Joseph of the West Indies and Australian leg-spinner Adam Zampa.
To their credit, the Papuans showed a measure of resistance after slipping to 50 for seven in the 13th over as wicketkeeper-batsman Kiplin Doriga, who topscored with 27, and Alei Nao (13) put on 38 for the eighth wicket before Farooqi, inevitably, separated them.