New Zealand won the toss and opt to bowl
Dropped a couple of catches, missed run-out chances, didn’t review an lbw call. This is how New Zealand fared in the first half of the innings after opting to field. Despite that, they conceded just 55 runs off the first ten overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran upped the ante after that as they smashed five sixes in the next 14 balls with three of them coming in an over off Bracewell. Matt Henry broke the century opening stand and Azmatullah Omarzai played a little cameo coming in at three. Gurbaz struck two massive sixes in the penultimate over but Boult was brilliant in the final over. With dew expected to play a role, New Zealand will fancy their chances to chase down this total. Let’s find out how Afghanistan fare with the ball.
Gurbaz: I think it is a good total. I am happy with the total. It wasn’t easy at the start especially against the spinners. Now we have to field well. Our plan was to play well against Santner. It is not an easy surface. Our bowling side is good and we are happy with the total.
Afghanistan innings progression
Overs 1-6: 44/0 (RR: 7.33)
Overs 7-10: 11/0 (RR: 2.75)
Overs 11-13: 42/0 (RR: 14.0)
Overs 14-20: 62/6 (RR: 8.85)
Most sixes by AFG in a T20 WC innings
11 vs SCO, Sharjah, 2021
9 vs SA, Wankhede, 2016
9 vs NZ, Providence, 2024*
Most sixes for Afghanistan in a T20 WC innings
5 – Mohammad Shahzad vs SA, Wankhede, 2016
5 – Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs NZ, Providence, 2024*
Gurbaz’s 80 runs is the highest individual score for Afghanistan in T20 World Cups, surpassing his own 76 runs from the last match against Uganda.
Lowest run-rate for a 100+ partnership in T20 WC
7.10 – I Zadran v R Gurbaz vs NZ, Providence, 2024*
7.66 – V Kohli & Rohit Sharma vs WI, Mirpur, 2014
7.88 – Babar Azam & M Rizwan vs NAM, Abu Dhabi, 2021
8.00 – V Kohli & Rohit Sharma vs BAN, Mirpur, 2014
Most 100+ opening stands in T20 WCs
3 – Babar Azam & M Rizwan
2 – A Gilchrist & M Hayden
2 – D Warner & S Watson
2 – R Gurbaz & Ibrahim Zadran
Most 100+ partnerships in a single T20 WC
2 – A Gilchrist & M Hayden in 2007
2 – Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli in 2014
2 – Babar Azam & M Rizwan in 2021
2 – R Gurbaz & Ibrahim Zadran in 2024*
100+ partnerships in consecutive T20 WC matches
Rohit Sharma & Virat Kohli in 2014
R Gurbaz & Ibrahim Zadran in 2024
This is some demolition from Afghanistan. 160 was always going to be a tricky chase and it showed on the rusty New Zealanders. They’ve been woefully short of match practice in recent times and they simply crumbled under pressure. It all started with Finn Allen’s wild heave first-ball, Fazalhaq then sliced through the top-order with a 3-wicket burst inside the powerplay. The middle-order was ripe for the taking, Rashid and Nabi didn’t need a second invitation as they helped themselves to a feast. Only Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry reached double digits, such was the humiliation, and the 84-run loss has put New Zealand right on the back-foot. Afghanistan ticked all the boxes in Guyana and they’ll leave the country with two wins and four points on the table.
Best bowling figures by a captain in T20 WC
4/17 – Rashid Khan vs NZ, Providence, 2024*
4/20 – Daniel Vettori vs IND, Jo’burg, 2007
4/20 – Zeeshan Maqsood vs PNG, Al Amerat, 2021
Lowest totals by a Full member team in T20 WCs
55 – ENG vs WI, Dubai, 2021
60 – NZ vs SL, Chattogram, 2014
70 – BAN vs NZ, Kolkata, 2016
72 – BAN vs AUS, Dubai, 2021
75 – NZ vs AFG, Providence, 2024*
– This is also the biggest defeat in terms of runs for New Zealand in T20 World Cups.
– This is the first time Afghanistan defeated New Zealand in 5 international matches.
Biggest win margin for AFG in T20 WCs (by runs)
130 vs SCO, Sharjah, 2021
125 vs Uganda, Providence, 2024
84 vs NZ, Providence, 2024*
62 vs NAM, Abu Dhabi, 2021
Two bowlers bagging 4-wicket hauls in a T20 WC innings
Umar Gul (4/25) & Shahid Afridi (4/19) vs SCO, 2007
Mujeeb Rahman (5/20) & Rashid Khan (4/9) vs SCO, 2021
Fazalhaq Farooqi (4/17) & Rashid Khan (4/17) vs NZ, 2024*
– Fazalhaq Farooqi is the first bowler to take 4+ wickets in consecutive T20 WC matchesRahmanullah Gurbaz | Player of the Match: Nothing is (more) special than this. We have been waiting for this victory for the last three years. We faced them and they beat us, finally we beat them. The trust and the belief was there from the very start. We had the trust that we can beat any team in this competition. The wicket was not easy, the total was very good, very happy. I was actually a bit frustrated, I didn’t start that well. Ibrahim and I were discussing that we should keep calm and play some good cricket shots. We thought 130-140 would be a good total, but I played some good shots and Azmatullah played very good shots as well. Credit goes to the bowlers as well, they bowled very well against a team like NZ, unbelievable. This is a very good partnership (Ibrahim-Gurbaz) as openers. We have a very good combination. Sometimes (if) it’s not my day, he tries to take on the bowlers. If it’s my day, I tell him to give the strike to me. The conversations go on. You have to encourage the bowlers, as a wicketkeeper, my job is to keep everyone active on the ground. I try to give some energy to the bowlers as well.
Kane Williamson – Yeah, first congrats to AFG, they simply outplayed us in all facets. To get to that total on that surface, they kept their wickets and made a good score. We’ll have to put this behind quickly and get back to our next challenge. The boys did work hard in preparations for this match (on the lack of match practice), but it was hard and we need to move on quickly. Games come thick and fast in this tournament. 160 was a tough chase, but we needed partnerships, the skills they had made it difficult for us (on AFG’s spinners). Our fielding was a let down, particularly in the first 10 overs, we had our chances and we didn’t use them. We need to take a step in the right direction, we know we are better than this, we’ll have to go away and give ourselves the best chance going into the next match. We didn’t take our opportunities and it goes a long way in changing the outcome of the match. Once they had a score, their bowlers executed their skills well. We’ll have a talk about this and then look to come back well in the next match.
Rashid Khan – One of our best T20 performances from us, especially against a big team like New Zealand. The wicket wasn’t easy to score, Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted really well, it was a superb performance with the bat, ball and the field. I’m really happy to be leading this team. I was fine with that (on the slow start), we scored 30 odd in the first six overs, we just chatted about going on from there, playing our natural game, keeping the scoreboard ticking and that’s what happened. We knew anything around 160-170, we’ve the bowlers for these wickets – we just needed to hit consistent lines and lengths, Nabi’s second over, that was a positive, there was a bit of spin. If we use our skills, it’s tough to chase down 160 against us. The energy in the field, the effort, the running between the wickets was amazing. Win or lose, we just need to give our 100%, if we don’t give it, we’ll miss something. I don’t worry about the result as long as we put in the effort. He has been giving us the base (on Fazalhaq Farooqi), the way he’s bowled in the two matches has been amazing, he’s very skillful, but he can continue to work on his bases and become even better.
Afghanistan are on cloud nine, not only they’ve two wins on the bounce, they’ve a superb net run-rate and have almost one foot into the playoffs. On the other hand, this loss will hurt New Zealand and it means their next match against West Indies has become a must-win.