In a thrilling ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup showdown at MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, New Zealand successfully defended a total of 288/6 against Afghanistan, securing their fourth win in the tournament.
Despite a shaky start, the Black Caps managed to recover and post a competitive score, thanks to a resilient partnership of 144 runs between Glenn Phillips (71) and Tom Latham (68), aided by some fielding errors from Afghanistan.
Opting to bowl first after winning the toss, Afghanistan missed several early chances, including a dropped catch of Will Young off Fazalhaq Farooqi’s bowling.
New Zealand’s innings saw early setbacks with Devon Conway falling to Mujeeb Ur Rahman for 20. However, positive batting from Young and Rachin Ravindra helped New Zealand regain momentum, and they added 66 runs in the next 10 overs.
New Zealand’s progress was halted by a brilliant double-wicket burst from Azmatullah Omarzai, removing Ravindra and Young in quick succession. Later, Rashid Khan struck, putting Daryl Mitchell out of the game. With Afghanistan’s disciplined bowling performance, the game remained in the balance.
Latham and Phillips then came to the rescue, forming a game-defining partnership, taking New Zealand into the final ten overs. They unleashed an array of big shots and added 144 crucial runs. Afghanistan, however, gave their opponents numerous chances due to subpar fielding efforts.
Naveen-ul-Haq eventually dismissed both set batsmen in the 48th over, but Mark Chapman’s late onslaught boosted New Zealand’s total to 288/6.
Afghanistan’s reply started steadily as they aimed to negotiate the threat posed by Trent Boult and Matt Henry in the Powerplay. However, they lost two wickets in quick succession, with Henry dismissing Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Boult removing Ibrahin Zadran.
After losing their captain Hashmatullah Shahidi and Azmatullah Omarzai, Afghanistan had a mountain to climb. Despite a partnership between Rahmat Shah and Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistan continued to lose wickets.
Mitchell Santner achieved a significant milestone by claiming his 100th ODI wicket, further denting Afghanistan’s chances. In the end, Lockie Ferguson and Santner combined to wrap up the game, with Afghanistan being bowled out for 139, falling 149 runs short of the target.
This impressive victory propels New Zealand to the top of the tournament table with four wins from four matches and the best net run rate. Meanwhile, Afghanistan will seek a comeback when they face Pakistan in their next match on Monday.
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