Mon | Dec 16, 2024

Afghanistan stun New Zealand

Published:Sunday | June 9, 2024 | 12:12 AM
Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz appeals unsuccessfully for LBW against New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match at Guyana National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, on Friday.
AP
Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz appeals unsuccessfully for LBW against New Zealand’s Mitchell Santner during an ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match at Guyana National Stadium in Providence, Guyana, on Friday.

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC):

OPENER RAHMANULLAH Gurbaz struck a Man-of-the-Match half-century, while Fazalhaq Farooqi and captain Rashid Khan followed up with four-wicket hauls to help Afghanistan stun New Zealand by 84 runs in their Group C contest of the Twenty20 World Cup.

Sent in at the Guyana National Stadium on Friday, Afghanistan racked up 159 for six with the 22-year-old Gurbaz top-scoring with an enterprising 80 off 56 deliveries.

He belted five fours and five sixes and put on 103 for the first wicket with Ibrahim Zadran, who made a measured 44 from 41 balls with three fours and two sixes, while Azmatullah Omarzai made 22.

What should have been a relatively straightforward chase for the Black Caps quickly turned complicated as they were quickly rolled over for 75 in the 16th over with left-arm seamer Fazalhaq and leg-spinner Rashid Khan both claiming four for 17.

The victory was Afghanistan’s second win in as many games, putting them on top of the group on four points while New Zealand are bottom after playing their only game.

“Definitely I think it’s one of the greatest victories for us especially in T20, you know we haven’t had those victories in T20 World Cups,” said Rashid Khan.

“We had in ODI but in T20 I feel like this was one of the best performances from the guys and it’s not just about a single guy winning the game, it’s a great team effort the way Gurbaz and Ibrahim started the innings.

“They took their time and they knew like you know what they’re doing.”

The early assault from Gurbaz and Ibrahim put New Zealand under early pressure, the pair gathering 44 from the first power-play before the scoring slowed as Afghanistan crawled to 55 at the half-way mark.

However, a 21-run over from off-spinner Michael Bracewell in the 11th over opened the floodgates for the Asian side as they plundered 42 from the next three.

In reply, the tone was set from the first ball of the chase when Fazalhaq removed Finn Allen’s leg stump and there was no recovery for the Black Caps as only two batsmen made it into double figures, neither getting to 20.