New Zealand, known for their consistent performances and strong fielding, surprisingly faltered in the field after winning the toss and electing to bowl first, a decision influenced by the growing threat of wet weather. The Kiwis' off night started with a number of serious mistakes, including a missed stumping and a mistaken runout by keeper Devon Conway as well as a missed catch at deep backward square leg. These mistakes allowed the Afghan openers to take advantage and build a solid base.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz performed brilliantly with the bat and scored his second half-century of the tournament, scoring 80 runs in 56 balls. Ibrahim Zadran provided excellent support by scoring 44 runs in 41 balls, while Azmatullah Umarzai contributed 22 runs in just 13 balls.Lockie Ferguson eventually broke the partnership by getting Umarzai caught, but the damage was already done. Afghanistan managed to reach 150 runs within 19 overs and ended their innings at 159/6 after New Zealand limited their score in the final overs.
Chasing 160, New Zealand's batting lineup collapsed under pressure from Afghanistan's bowlers. Fazalhaq Farooqui gave a sensational performance, taking 4 wickets for just 17 runs in 3.2 overs. His early strikes, including the key wickets of Finn Allen, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell, left New Zealand reeling.After this, Rashid Khan took center stage by dismissing New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on his very first ball. Khan's disastrous spell saw him take four wickets for 17 runs in his four overs, including a catch and bowled dismissal to dismiss Ferguson. New Zealand were denied any chance to build momentum due to a relentless attack by the Afghan bowlers, with Glenn Phillips' 18 off one ball being the highest score for the Kiwis.
Brief Score:
Afghanistan 159 for 6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim Zadran 44; Trent Boult 3 2-22, Matt Henry 2-37) beat New Zealand 75 for 15.2 overs (Glenn Phillips 18; Fazalhaq Farooqui 4) -17, Rashid Khan 4-17 by 84 runs.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz performed brilliantly with the bat and scored his second half-century of the tournament, scoring 80 runs in 56 balls. Ibrahim Zadran provided excellent support by scoring 44 runs in 41 balls, while Azmatullah Umarzai contributed 22 runs in just 13 balls.Lockie Ferguson eventually broke the partnership by getting Umarzai caught, but the damage was already done. Afghanistan managed to reach 150 runs within 19 overs and ended their innings at 159/6 after New Zealand limited their score in the final overs.
Chasing 160, New Zealand's batting lineup collapsed under pressure from Afghanistan's bowlers. Fazalhaq Farooqui gave a sensational performance, taking 4 wickets for just 17 runs in 3.2 overs. His early strikes, including the key wickets of Finn Allen, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell, left New Zealand reeling.After this, Rashid Khan took center stage by dismissing New Zealand captain Kane Williamson on his very first ball. Khan's disastrous spell saw him take four wickets for 17 runs in his four overs, including a catch and bowled dismissal to dismiss Ferguson. New Zealand were denied any chance to build momentum due to a relentless attack by the Afghan bowlers, with Glenn Phillips' 18 off one ball being the highest score for the Kiwis.
Brief Score:
Afghanistan 159 for 6 in 20 overs (Rahmanullah Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim Zadran 44; Trent Boult 3 2-22, Matt Henry 2-37) beat New Zealand 75 for 15.2 overs (Glenn Phillips 18; Fazalhaq Farooqui 4) -17, Rashid Khan 4-17 by 84 runs.
