KATHMANDU, Nepal – The all-around performance of Gulbadin Naib March 28 increased Afghanistan’s chances of qualifying for the 2015 Twenty20 (T20) World Cup as it defeated Bahrain by 72 runs in the Asian T20 Cricket Championship.

It was Afghanistan’s second successive win after beating Oman in its first match.

Afghanistan batted first and set a challenging 157-run target for the opponents. Naib led the Afghans with 46 runs and shone in bowling too, getting four wickets to hold Bahrain to 85 runs.

Afghanistan plays the UAE and Kuwait March 30 and 31 in the 10-nation qualifiers. The top two teams advance to the World Cup.