In group D, the final group of the inter-provincal 50-over competition, Paktia saw off their opponents to become the final team to make the semi-finals.
First of all, Nuristan beat Zabul by 19 runs in a close game. After Nuristan posted 244 all out in 40.3 overs, Zabul responded quickly before a spate of quick wickets left them 19 short.
The second match of group D featured Kunduz and Parwan. Similarily to the first match, the team who batted first – Parwan, in this instance – were unable to bat out their overs. However, unlike Nuristan, Parwan were punished as their score of 218 was chased down with four wickets to spare by Kunduz.
In the third match of the group, Paktia and Kandahar played for the first time. Paktia scored a challenging 266 runs in their 50 overs for the loss of just 6 wickets. Kandahar, the domestic T20 champions, failed in their chase, falling well short by 76 runs.
As Kunduz had a superior run-rate, it was left to Nuristan and Paktia to battle for a place in the quarter-finals. In one of the tighest matches so far, Paktia won by two wickets, with 6 overs left.
The quarter-final between Paktia and Kunduz was a one-sided game. Paktia, to their credit, once again batted out their quota of overs; this time they scored 247/7. Kunduz fell short by exactly 100 runs.
So, Paktia joined Kabul, Panjshir and Laghman in the semi-finals.
