The Amo team secured the first qualification spot for the final of Afghanistan’s National First Division Cricket Tournament after a comprehensive victory over Band-e-Amir, confirming their place in the championship match.
In the match, Band-e-Amir won the toss and elected to field first. Amo posted a challenging total of 308 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the allotted 50 overs, setting a demanding target for the opposition.
The standout performer of the match was Imran Mir, who played a brilliant innings of 161 runs, playing a central role in his team’s victory. He scored his runs off 144 balls, hitting 11 fours and 8 sixes. Yousuf Shah, with 45 runs, Gulbadin Naib with an unbeaten 34 runs, and Faisal Khan Shinwari with 24 runs also contributed significantly to Amo’s innings.
Imran Mir’s performance was notable from a statistical perspective as well. His score of 161 became the second-highest individual innings in the history of Afghanistan’s First Division competitions since 2017. The record remains held by Samiullah Shinwari, who scored an unbeaten 192 runs in 2018.
In response, Band-e-Amir failed to chase the target of 309 runs and were bowled out for 215 runs. Their top scorers included Javed Ahmadi with 51 runs, Mohammad Akram with 46 runs, Sohail Khan Zadran with 36 runs, and Majid Alam with 30 runs.
With the ball, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Gulbadin Naib, and Ehsanullah Noori each took two wickets, playing a key role in restricting the opposition.
At the end of the match, Imran Mir was named Player of the Match for his outstanding performance.
With this victory, Amo moved to the top of the table with 7 points from 6 matches, securing their place in the final. In contrast, Band-e-Amir, with 5 points and a net run rate of -0.821, were eliminated from contention for the final.
In other standings, the Boost team sits second with 6 points from 6 matches, while Speen Ghar also has 6 points but with one game in hand, keeping their chances of reaching the final alive. Mis Ainak, with 4 points from 5 matches, also remains in contention for the second final berth.
Speen Ghar and Mis Ainak are scheduled to face each other today, Tuesday, in the final group-stage match—a crucial encounter that will determine the second finalist of Afghanistan’s First Division Cricket Tournament.
Writer:Salima Aryaei
