Afghanistan 148 for 9 (Zadran 50) beat Kenya 114 (Patel 52, Shenwari 5-13) by 34 runs:
Kenya failed to win what was a must-win game for them against Afghanistan, meaning they are out of the running for a spot in the 2014 World Twenty20. Afghanistan's victory meant they topped Group B and ensured their passage into the showpiece Twenty20 event in Bangladesh next year, irrespective of what happens in the playoffs that follow this round.
The victory was a relatively straightforward one for Afghanistan, built on a half-century by No. 3 Noor Ali Zadran and a five-for from legspinner Samiullah Shenwari. Afghanistan were dealt an early blow after choosing to bat, but Zadran and Karim Sadiq counterattacked with 48 in 4.4 overs. After Sadiq fell for 30, Zadran held the innings together. He was out in the penultimate over of the innings, lbw for 50 to Collins Obuya, but by then Afghanistan were well on their way to a competitive total. They ended with 148 for 9.
Ireland 207 for 4 (Stirling 77, O'Brien 62*) beat Hong Kong 122 (Atkinson 48, Stirling 4-10) by 85 runs:
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In what was a two-horse race to the World Twenty20 2014, Ireland thumped Hong Kong by 85 runs. Now, Ireland, as group-toppers, will play in the showpiece event regardless of what happens in the playoffs that follow this round of matches. Hong Kong, the No. 2 team in the group, will have to bring their A-game to those playoffs in order to edge closer to Bangladesh 2014.
Ireland elected to bat, and were solid all through their innings. Openers William Porterfield and Paul Stirling laid the platform with 91 in 10 overs, and Kevin O'Brien launched from that platform. He slammed an unbeaten 62 from 27 balls, with three fours and five sixes to power Ireland past the 200-run mark.
Faced with a target of 208, Hong Kong were hardly ever in the game. Stirling continued to be a thorn in their side, as he picked up four wickets - of which three were of top-order batsmen - with his offspin in a miserly spell. If Hong Kong haboured any hopes of chasing down the stiff target, Stirling's figures of 4-0-10-4 crushed them. They were eventually bowled out in the 18th over, 85 runs shy of Ireland's total.
Alongside Hong Kong, the teams from Group A that will be dependent on the results of the playoffs to progress further are UAE, Namibia and Italy.
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