CHITTAGONG: Afghanistan earned their first win in the World Twenty20 and kept alive slim hopes of making the Super 10 with an emphatic seven-wicket victory over Hong Kong here on Tuesday.

Both teams dropped their opening Group ‘A’ qualifiers on Sunday with Bangladesh beating Afghanistan and Hong Kong losing to Nepal. Hong Kong can no longer advance.

Half centuries by opener Mohammad Shahzad and Shafiqullah spurred Afghanistan, which chased down 154 with two overs to spare.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Shahzad hit three sixes and six boundaries in a chancy knock of 68.

Shafiqullah (51 off 24) completed the task with a well-timed boundary to complete his maiden fifty and seal the win.

Hong Kong’s total of 153-8 centered on a 60-run third-wicket stand between Mark Chapman (38) and Waqas Barkat (32) before both fell to the off-spin of Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi, who took 2-27.

Hong Kong, who chose to bat, got off to a disastrous start when they lost opener Irfan Ahmed to the first ball, bowled by Shapoor Zadran who finished with 2-27.—Agencies

Scoreboard

HONG KONG: Irfan Ahmed b Shapoor 0 Waqas Barkat c Dawlat b Nabi 32 J.J. Atkinson lbw b Hamza 31 M.S. Chapman b Dawlat 38 Babar Hayat c Asghar b Nabi 5 Nizakat Khan c Nabi b Hamza 9 Munir Dar run out 3 Tanwir Afzal c Gulbadin b Shapoor 11 Haseeb Amjad not out 7 Aizaz Khan not out 1 EXTRAS (B-1, LB-2, W-8, NB-5) 16 TOTAL (for eight wkts, 20 overs) 153 FALL OF WKTS: 1-0, 2-42, 3-102, 4-115, 5-117, 6-127, 7-135, 8-147. DID NOT BAT: Nadeem Ahmed. BOWLING: Shapoor Zadran 4-0-27-2; Gulbadin Naib 2-0-23-0 (2w); Hamza Hotak 4-0-32-2 (1w); Samiullah Shenwari 3-0-17-0; Dawlat Zadran 3-0-24-1 (2nb); Mohammad Nabi 4-0-27-2 (1w). AFGHANISTAN: Najeeb Tarakai c Nadeem b Tanwir 7 Mohammad Shahzad c Irfan b Haseeb 68 Asghar Stanikzai c Babar b Aizaz 13 Shafiqullah not out 51 Mohammad Nabi not out 6 EXTRAS (LB-1, W-7, NB-1) 9 TOTAL (for three wkts, 18 overs) 154 FALL OF WKTS: 1-14, 2-69, 3-116. DID NOT BAT: Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shenwari, Gulbadin Naib, Hamza Hotak, Dawlat Zadran, Shapoor Zadran. BOWLING: Tanwir Afzal 3-0-19-1; Haseeb Amjad 4-0-25-1 (1w); Nadeem Ahmed 3-0-22-0 (1w); Irfan Ahmed 3-0-15-0; Nizakat Khan 2-0-23-0 (1w); Aizaz Khan 3-0-39-1 (1nb). RESULT: Afghanistan won by seven wickets. UMPIRES: P.R. Reiffel (Australia) and S. Ravi (India). TV UMPIRE: R.J. Tucker (Australia). MATCH REFEREE: J. Srinath (India). MAN-OF-THE-MATCH: Mohammad Shahzad.