Afghanistan secured their third consecutive win in the ICC ODI World Cup on Friday as they beat the Netherlands by seven wickets at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow, India.

The win has now seen the Giant Killers take the fifth spot in the league standings with two more matches to go and are firmly in the race to make the semifinals.

Having already managed to beat England and Pakistan in the group stage, Afghanistan were clear favourites to win against the Netherlands.

Earlier, Mohammad Nabi’s excellent bowling figures restricted the Dutch to 179 in 46.3 overs with him ending with figures of 28/3. Noor Ahmad also scalped four wickets while Mujeeb Ur Rahman ended with one wicket.

Interestingly, there were four run outs in the Netherlands innings showcasing their vulnerability.

Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan