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Afghanistan finished their run of matches in Mt Maunganui with an impressive win over the Northern Knights today.

The tourists tallied 264-7 off their 50 overs while the Knights could only manage 248-9 in reply.

That gave Afghanistan a win and a loss apiece against the Knights and Auckland Aces over the past week at Bay Oval as they build up towards next year's one-day World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

As they did on Tuesday in the first encounter between against Northern, the visitors won the toss and elected to bat. However, this time they applied a more aggressive approach, led by teenage tyro Usman Ghani.

The right-hander signalled his intent from the outset, flashing the blade at anything full or wide, and while he had a big slice of luck in James Baker's first over, he also displayed some cracking strokes.

He got to 44 off 49 balls - featuring six fours - before falling to the leg spin of Black Caps test tweaker Ish Sodhi. Left-handed Najibullah Zardan was more restrained in making 41 off 77 balls, while opener Nawroz Mangal retired hurt early with a sore back but returned at the fall of Ghani's wicket to add 27 from 33 deliveries.

Skipper Mohammad Nabi looked like guiding his team to a very testing tally when he got to 37 off 42 balls with three fours and a six but his dismissal looked like slowing his side until Asghar Stanikzai and Samiullah Shenwari got cracking late.

Stanikzai plundered six sixes in his quickfire 63 off 47 balls, while Shenwari contributed 32 off as many deliveries as the visitors amassed 87 off their last 10 overs.

Veteran Knights seamer Graeme Aldridge (1-47 off nine overs) looked sharp in his first outing of the new season until the 36-year-old received some late punishment, while Sodhi took 2-55 off his 10 overs, going for 16 off his final over.

The pick of the Knights bowlers was off-spinner Jono Boult. The older brother of Black Caps star Trent is chiefly regarded as a limited-overs specialist and again displayed his skills by tying up all batsmen as he ended with 3-24 off his full complement.

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Afghanistan bounce back to beat Knights