Tuesday, 27 October 2026 — Qatar beat Papua New Guinea by 9 wickets at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Nairobi, chasing 156 in just 14.5 overs. Shahzeb Afridi's 85 off 35 balls, with nine sixes, decided the match long before the target was in serious doubt, and Zubair Ali and Imal Liyanage were not out at the end.
How the match unfolded
Papua New Guinea won the toss and chose to bat. They closed on 155 from 36.3 overs, a run rate of 4.25. Tony Ura was the main scorer with 52 off 44 balls, including five fours and three sixes. Kabua Morea finished unbeaten on 16 off 21 balls. Sese Bau (24 off 46) and Assad Vala (15 off 32) scored slowly, and neither got going at a rate that would have pushed the total towards 200. Muhammad Asim was the destructive bowler for Qatar, taking 5/34 in 10 overs, though he also conceded 10 wides. Owais Ahmed added 3/30 and Mohammad Ikramullah Khan took 2/12 in 5.3 overs at 2.18 an over.
Qatar's reply was quick. They reached 157/1 in 14.5 overs, a run rate of 10.58. Afridi's innings was the centrepiece, and his partnership with Zubair Ali (58 not out off 44 balls, with nine fours) took the pressure off the chase completely. Imal Liyanage (11 not out off 11 balls) saw Qatar home. Kabua Morea was the only Papua New Guinea bowler to take a wicket among those used, with 1/54 from 5.5 overs, and he went for 9.26 an over.
The turning point
The ball-by-ball record does not single out one moment, so the clearest turning point is the chase itself. Once Qatar were past the first few overs, Afridi's pace of scoring meant the required rate never became a threat. Papua New Guinea's total of 155 was always going to be under pressure, and Qatar's batting turned that into a comfortable margin.
Where Qatar won it
Qatar's bowling got them into the match. Muhammad Asim's 5/34 was the decisive bowling figure, and Mohammad Ikramullah Khan's economy of 2.18 kept the run flow tight during his spell. Their bowling was not spotless. Mujeeb ur Rehman went for 7.6 an over (0/38 in 5 overs), well above the innings rate of 4.25, and Semo Kamea conceded 20 runs from one over. Those costs did not matter in the end, because Afridi's batting ensured the target was reached with ease.
Where Papua New Guinea went wrong
Papua New Guinea's total was not enough to test a Qatar side with this much hitting power. A score of 155 from 36.3 overs at 4.25 an over left them short of the scoring rate needed to put pressure on the chase. The middle-order contributions of Sese Bau and Assad Vala, who scored 39 runs between them from 78 balls, slowed the innings at a time when the team needed momentum. Tony Ura's 52 was the highest score of the innings, but it was not supported by a partnership that could push the total past 200. In the field, Kabua Morea's 1/54 from 5.5 overs was expensive, and Qatar's openers were not troubled enough to force a change in plan.
Standout performers
- Shahzeb Afridi (Qatar): 85 off 35 balls, 5 fours and 9 sixes, strike rate 243.
- Muhammad Asim (Qatar): 5/34 in 10 overs, the best bowling figures of the match.
- Zubair Ali (Qatar): 58 not out off 44 balls, with nine fours.
- Mohammad Ikramullah Khan (Qatar): 2/12 in 5.3 overs at 2.18 an over.
- Tony Ura (Papua New Guinea): 52 off 44 balls, the top score for the innings.