The Netherlands opened their World Twenty20 Qualifier campaign in style with a resounding 7 wicket win over Afghanistan. Having restricted Afghanistan to a total of 90 runs, the Dutch chased down the target with ease, captain Peter Borren smashing 38* off just 15 balls to take his team across the line in just 12.5 overs.

Borren's team took command of the game almost immediately after losing the toss and being invited to bowl, early wickets for Paul van Meekeren and Muddassar Bukhari having the Afghans reeling on 14-3 after the first four overs.

Mohammad Shahzad sought to counter-attack, hitting two fours off the bowling of Borren in the next over, but his 27 run partnership with Shafiqullah was not enough to turn the momentum. Shafiq departed in the 9th over courtesy of Pieter Seelaar with the score still just 41 and Borren came back two overs later to claim the crucial wicket of Shahzad for 20 - which was to be the highest score recorded by and Afghan batsman. Captain Mohammad Nabi managed just 6 runs before he too fell prey to Seelaar's left arm spin, and it fell to Najibullah Zadran and Gulbadin Naib to salvage something from the innings.

Their 30-run partnership was enough to edge Afghanistan past their lowest ever T20I total of 80, but after Bukhari returned to spear a ball through Zadran's defences and middle stump, claiming his second wicket in three overs that cost just seven runs, the tail swiftly gave way. Ahsan Malik took two wickets in the space of three balls in the penultimate over, and the following ball a mix up between Hamid Hassan and Hamza Hotak allowed Bukhari to run out the latter, wrapping up the Afghan innings for 90.

The Dutch chase began inauspiciously, Wesley Barresi chopping Shapoor Zadran's first ball onto the stumps, and Stephan Myburgh gifted a reprieve two balls later, dropped by Nabi at first slip. Myburgh made good use of his luck however, putting on 38 runs with Eric Szwarczynski before the latter misjudged a straighter ball from Nabi in the eighth over to be sent on his way for 24. Myburgh, undaunted, clubbed a huge six over mid-on and onto the stand two balls later, but was perish to top-edging to deep square leg in Nabi's next over.

The wicket did little to stem the flow of runs however as Borren, having promoted himself up the order, smashed Nabi's next two balls for four and six. It was to be a sign of things to come as the Dutch skipper, supported by Daan van Bunge, was clearly in no mood to waste time. The pair took just 20 balls to knock off the requisite 40 runs, Borren taking the hapless Hamza Hotak for 21 runs in the 13th over, smashing three increasingly huge sixes to finish the game off in style.