In the 14th match of the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan pulled off a significant upset by bowling out New Zealand for 75 runs while defending a target of 160. New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first. Afghanistan's openers provided a solid start, with Rahmanullah Gurbaz scoring 80 off 56 balls, including 5 sixes and 5 fours, and Ibrahim Zadran contributing 44 off 41 balls. Afghanistan ended their innings at 159/6 in the allotted 20 overs. Matt Henry and Trent Boult were the pick of the bowlers for New Zealand, taking 2 wickets each.
In their chase, New Zealand's batsmen struggled against Afghanistan's bowling attack. Opener Finn Allen was dismissed for a duck by Fazalhaq Farooqi, setting the tone for the rest of the innings. Glenn Phillips was the top scorer for New Zealand with 18 runs, while most of the other batsmen failed to reach double figures. Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid Khan each took 4 wickets, with Farooqi giving away just 17 runs in 3.2 overs and Rashid conceding the same in his 4 overs. Mohammad Nabi also contributed with 2 wickets for 16 runs in his 4 overs. New Zealand was bowled out for 75 runs, sealing Afghanistan's victory by 84 runs.
COMMENTS