- Afghanistan defeated New Zealand by 84 runs.
- New Zealand could only make 75 runs.
- Afghanistan have won all the matches played so far.
New Zealand’s chase of 160 was cut short as they were all out for just 75 runs within 15.2 overs.
Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan and fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi wreaked havoc, each taking four wickets.
Among the New Zealand team, only Glenn Phillips (18 off 18) and Matt Henry (12 off 17) managed to score in double digits.
Rashid Khan expressed his pride in the team’s performance after the game, saying, “One of the greatest performances from us in T20I cricket against a big team. It is a great team effort. The way Ibrahim and Gurbaz started again…the wicket was not easy. They did not throw away their wickets in overs 7-10. Great win for Afghanistan and it is a privilege to be leading this side and winning against NZ.”
He also commented on the team’s strategy, “Anything around 160-170, with the bowling unit we have, we will give tough competition to the opposition, as long as we hit the right areas consistently. The spinners and especially the seamers, the way Nabi bowled the second over - that gave us a sign the ball was turning. The skill we have as a bowling unit, if we use that, it will be hard for the opposition to score 160.”
Initially, New Zealand opted to field after winning the toss.
Afghanistan set a score of 159-6 from their 20 overs, thanks to opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s impressive 80 runs off 56 balls, including five boundaries and an equal number of sixes.
Ibrahim Zadran also made a significant contribution with 44 runs from 41 balls.
For New Zealand, Trent Boult was the standout bowler, ending with 2-22 from his four overs.
This was New Zealand’s first match of the tournament, led by Kane Williamson, while Afghanistan had previously secured a win against Uganda.
With this victory, Afghanistan has won both of their matches in Group C, putting them in a strong position to advance to the Super 8 stage of the tournament.
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