Austria vs Norway – T20 Internationals 2026 Match Report | Statz
Austria Bounce Back With DLS Victory Over Norway After Three Straight Defeats
Austria won by 15 runs (D/L method) as they ended a three-match losing streak with a clinical all-round performance in the 89th match of 132 in the 2026 T20 Internationals season at Botkyrka Cricket Center, Stockholm. Norway won the toss and elected to bat, but could only manage 119/8 from their rain-reduced 18 overs before Austria raced to 79/2 in 11.4 overs, comfortably ahead on DLS. The win takes Austria to 3-1 in their head-to-head record against Norway, bouncing back from a 78-run hammering just two days earlier.
First Innings – Norway 119/8 (18 overs)
Norway’s innings was stop-start from the first over. Khizer Ahmed fell cheaply for 1 off 4 balls, caught with the score on just 6 in the second over (1.2). Walid Ghauri (12 off 11, 1×4, SR 109) tried to rebuild with opener Mohammad Saif-Ul Islam, adding 32 for the second wicket before being caught at 38 in the sixth over (5.5).
Saif-Ul Islam anchored the innings with 30 off 34 balls (4×4), but the middle order collapsed around him. Akhter Pacha Sher was trapped LBW for a golden duck in the 12th over (11.3), and Saif-Ul Islam followed immediately after, caught with the score on 69 (11.2). That double blow at 69/4 stalled Norway’s momentum completely.
Chaudhary Akram (34 off 33, 1×4, SR 103) and Faisal Raza (22 off 15, 2×4, 1×6, SR 147) put on 29 runs for the fifth wicket to push the score past 90, but once Faisal Raza was bowled at 98 (15.3), Norway lost three wickets for just 8 runs. Qamar Mushtaque (1 off 4) was caught at 100 (16.1), and Farmanullah Ghari (6 off 4, 1×6) was bowled at 106 (16.5). Akram was the last man out, run out off the final ball of the innings at 119 (17.6).
Bilal Zalmai was the pick of the Austria attack with 3/26 from 4 overs (Econ 6.50), including the key wicket of Faisal Raza. Baseer Khan returned excellent figures of 2/20 from 4 overs (Econ 5.00), while Mohammad Waqar Zalmai chipped in with 2/21 from 4 overs (Econ 5.25).
Second Innings – Austria 79/2 (11.4 overs) – Target revised via DLS
Austria lost Bilal Zalmai early for 2 off 10 balls, caught with the score on 7 in the third over (2.1). But Karanbir Singh took control of the chase from ball one, smashing 47 off 35 balls with 5 sixes and a four. His strike rate of 134 ensured Austria were always comfortably ahead of the DLS par score.
Karanbir Singh was the last man to fall, caught for 47 with the score on 74 in the 11th over (10.5), but by that point the damage was done. Irfan Safi (20* off 22, 1×4, 1×6) and Shadnan Khan (2* off 3) saw Austria home without further alarm, reaching 79/2 in 11.4 overs – well clear of the revised DLS target.
For Norway, Farmanullah Ghari was economical with 0/8 from 2.4 overs (Econ 3.00), while Ahmadullah Shinwari took 1/28 from 4 overs and Qamar Mushtaque claimed 1/14 from 2 overs. But there were never enough runs on the board to defend.
Statz MVP – Baseer Khan (70.51)
Baseer Khan takes the Statz MVP award with a match impact rating of 70.51. His 2/20 from 4 overs (Econ 5.00) provided the control Austria needed in the middle overs, conceding just one wide across his spell. The Statz algorithm calculates impact based on match context, and Baseer Khan’s miserly figures just edged out team-mates Bilal Zalmai (69.44) and Karanbir Singh (69.14) in what was a genuine three-way contest. No official Man of the Match was awarded for this fixture.
Top 5 Statz Ratings
1. Baseer Khan (Austria) – 70.51 – Miserly 2/20 from 4 overs, the tightest of Austria’s three main seamers
2. Bilal Zalmai (Austria) – 69.44 – 3/26 with the ball and top Dream11 scorer (118 points) despite a quiet 2 off 10 with the bat
3. Karanbir Singh (Austria) – 69.14 – Destructive 47 off 35 with 5 sixes drove Austria’s chase
4. Mohammad Waqar Zalmai (Austria) – 47.40 – Steady 2/21 from 4 overs (Econ 5.25) completed the pace trio’s stranglehold
5. Faisal Raza (Norway) – 43.11 – Norway’s most aggressive bat with 22 off 15 (SR 147), the only batter to consistently find the boundary
Turning Point
The double wicket blow in the 12th over was decisive. Akhter Pacha Sher was trapped LBW for a golden duck at 69/4 (11.3), and Mohammad Saif-Ul Islam – Norway’s anchor on 30 – fell in the same over at 69 (11.2). That twin collapse in the space of one ball ended any Norway momentum and left the lower order scrambling. From 69/2, Norway lost 6/50 in the remaining overs to finish well below par.
Match Context
This was the 89th match of 132 in the 2026 T20 Internationals season, played at Botkyrka Cricket Center, Stockholm. The result takes Austria’s head-to-head record against Norway to 3-1. For Austria, it was a much-needed response after three consecutive defeats – to Norway (78 runs, 12 Jun), Sweden (75 runs, 13 Jun) and Finland (6 wickets, 11 Jun). Norway, meanwhile, have now lost two of their last three, with their only recent win being that convincing 78-run victory over Austria on 12 June.
