Norway Crush Austria by 78 Runs to Claim First H2H Win in Stockholm

Norway won by 78 runs in the 85th match of 118 in the 2026 T20 Internationals season, played at the Botkyrka Cricket Center in Stockholm. Austria won the toss and elected to bowl, but Norway posted a competitive 150/8 from their 20 overs before bowling Austria out for just 72 in 15.4 overs. It was Norway’s first win against Austria in three meetings, having lost both previous encounters in August 2025.

First Innings – Norway 150/8 (20 overs)

Norway’s innings got off to a rocky start. Daud Asghar fell for 4 off 2 balls in the first over with the score on just 5, caught off the bowling. Khizer Ahmed followed cheaply for 6 off 7 balls at 11/2 in the second over. Walid Ghauri struggled to get going, managing just 4 off 18 deliveries before departing at 14/3 in the sixth over.

That brought together the pair who would rescue Norway’s innings. Akhter Pacha Sher and Chaudhary Akram transformed the innings with a stunning fourth-wicket partnership. Mohammad Saif-Ul Islam had provided a brief cameo of 9 off 8 balls before being bowled at 25/4 in the eighth over, but Akhter Pacha Sher and Chaudhary Akram put on 93 runs together to take Norway from trouble to a position of real strength.

Akhter Pacha Sher smashed 53 off 33 balls with 3 fours and 5 sixes at a strike rate of 161 before being caught at 118/6 in the 17th over. Chaudhary Akram was the more measured of the two, accumulating 57 off 45 balls with 9 fours at a strike rate of 127 before falling near the death at 148/7 in the 20th over. The late order couldn’t add much – Ibrahim Rahimi (4 off 2) and Farmanullah Ghari (2 off 2) both departed quickly as Norway finished on 150/8.

For Austria, Shadnan Khan was the standout with the ball, taking 4/34 from his 4 overs, though at an economy of 8.50. Baseer Khan was far more economical with figures of 2/7 from 3 overs including a maiden at an economy of just 2.33. Bilal Zalmai bowled tightly too, returning 1/18 from 4 overs at an economy of 4.50. Faridullah Shams was expensive, conceding 40 runs from his 3 overs for just 1 wicket.

Second Innings – Austria 72 all out (15.4 overs)

Austria’s chase of 151 never got going. Mohammad Waqar Zalmai was caught for 1 off 4 balls at 8/1 in the second over. Karanbir Singh scratched his way to 6 off 13 balls before being caught at 16/2 in the fifth over. Then came the collapse – Shadnan Khan fell for a duck at 16/3 and Armaan Randhawa followed for 0 at 17/5 in the same over, leaving Austria reeling at 17/5 after fewer than 5 overs.

Irfan Safi was bowled for 6 off 11 balls at 17/4 in the sixth over. Baseer Khan and Kumud Jha staged the only meaningful resistance of the innings, putting on 41 runs for the seventh wicket. Baseer Khan made 19 off 24 balls before being caught at 58/7 in the 15th over, and Kumud Jha finished unbeaten on 19 off 30 balls. The tail offered nothing – Hamid Safi (1 off 2), Bilal Zalmai (5 off 3), and Faridullah Shams (6 off 3) all fell in quick succession as Austria were bowled out for 72.

Ahmadullah Shinwari was superb for Norway, returning 3/12 from 4 overs at an economy of 3.00. Farmanullah Ghari was equally destructive with 3/10 from 2.4 overs including a maiden at an economy of 3.75. Muhammad Shahbaz Butt chipped in with 2/20 from 4 overs, while Qamar Mushtaque took 1/5 from 2 overs at an economy of 2.50.

Statz MVP – Baseer Khan (143.17)

The Statz MVP award – which calculates impact based on match context – goes to Austria’s Baseer Khan with a rating of 143.17, despite being on the losing side. His extraordinary bowling figures of 2/7 from 3 overs with a maiden were arguably the best individual spell of the match, conceding just 2.33 runs per over. He then contributed 19 off 24 balls with the bat as one of only two Austrian batters to reach double figures. No official Man of the Match was awarded for this fixture.

Top 5 Statz Ratings

1. Baseer Khan (Austria) – 143.17 – 2/7 from 3 overs with a maiden, plus 19 off 24 with the bat. Match-defining bowling spell in a losing cause.
2. Ahmadullah Shinwari (Norway) – 101.72 – 3/12 from 4 overs at an economy of 3.00. Led the bowling attack that dismantled Austria’s batting order.
3. Akhter Pacha Sher (Norway) – 77.08 – 53 off 33 balls with 5 sixes and 3 fours at a strike rate of 161. The aggressor in the match-saving fourth-wicket stand.
4. Chaudhary Akram (Norway) – 67.29 – 57 off 45 balls with 9 fours at a strike rate of 127. Top-scored in the match and anchored Norway’s recovery from 14/3.
5. Shadnan Khan (Austria) – 66.27 – 4/34 from 4 overs. Austria’s leading wicket-taker, but economy of 8.50 was costly.

Turning Point

The match was effectively decided by the cluster of wickets that fell at the start of Austria’s chase. Shadnan Khan’s dismissal for a duck at 16/3 in the fifth over – caught off the bowling of Farmanullah Ghari – triggered a rapid slide. Armaan Randhawa fell in the same over for 0 at 17/5, and Austria went from a manageable 16/2 to 17/5 in the space of just two deliveries. The required rate was already above 8 per over, and with their top order back in the pavilion, Austria had no route back into the contest.

Match Context

This was the 85th match of 118 in the 2026 T20 Internationals season. No formal standings table applies to this fixture (ICC T20I rankings), but the head-to-head record now reads Austria 2 – Norway 1 after this result. Norway’s win breaks Austria’s 100% record against them – both previous meetings at the same Botkyrka Cricket Center venue in August 2025 had gone Austria’s way. Austria are in poor form, losing both their matches in this quadrangular (also falling to Finland yesterday), while Norway bounce back from a loss to Sweden to record their first win of the tournament.

View the full scorecard and Statz ratings on statz.ai