GUYANA: Afghanistan cemented their place at the top of Group C and enhanced their Super Eight prospects with an emphatic 84-run victory against New Zealand in Providence. Following their 125-run triumph over Uganda in the opening match, Afghanistan’s impressive net run rate of 5.225 now leads the group.
After being sent in to bat, openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided Afghanistan with a solid foundation, putting up a 103-run partnership in 14.3 overs. This followed their 154-run stand against Uganda, making them the first opening duo to achieve consecutive century partnerships in T20 World Cup history.
Afghanistan’s innings was a tale of two halves: a steady 55 for no loss in the first ten overs, followed by a more aggressive 104 for 6 in the final ten, with Gurbaz top-scoring at 80 off 56 balls. New Zealand, who opted out of warm-up matches, appeared rusty, with their fielders dropping catches and missing run-out opportunities.
Chasing 160 on a pitch favorable to both seamers and spinners proved challenging for New Zealand. Few anticipated the severity of their collapse. Fazalhaq Farooqi struck early, claiming three wickets in the powerplay, and Rashid Khan dismantled the middle order with three more shortly after. Both bowlers finished with identical figures of 4 for 17, as New Zealand crumbled to 75 all out in 15.2 overs. Only Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry managed to reach double digits for the Kiwis.
