Fazalhaq Farooqui and Rashid Khan took four wickets each to wrap up New Zealand's innings for 75 runs.
Leader Online Desk: A big change was seen in the T-20 World Cup today. The runner-up in the last T20 World Cup and considered to be a contender in this year's World Cup, the New Zealand team performed very disappointingly in the first match. Afghanistan registered a resounding victory that once again forced the entire cricketing world to take notice. Let's find out what exactly happened in this match….
Gurubaz-Zhadran's century partnership gives New Zealand a 160-run challenge
Today (June 8) New Zealand and Afghanistan are facing each other in the T20 World Cup. Before the match, New Zealand was expected to win the match easily as per the record on paper. New Zealand won the toss. Afghanistan invited to bat first. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran gave Afghanistan a strong start. They made a partnership of 101 runs for the first wicket. New Zealand's Matt Henry bowled Zadran to give the team their first win. He scored 44 runs with the help of three fours and two sixes. After this, Henry rushed Omarzai into the tent. He scored 22 runs. Gurbaz hit 5 fours and 5 sixes and scored 80 runs off 56 balls. Rashid Khan was dismissed for six runs while Gulbadin Naib returned to the tent on a wicket. Karim and Najibullah remained unbeaten with one run each. New Zealand's Boult and Henry took two wickets each while Lockie Ferguson took one wicket. Afghanistan reached 159 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 20 overs.
New Zealand batsmen surrender to Afghanistan bowlers
New Zealand's opening pair came out chasing a target of 160 runs for victory. Afghanistan's Fazalhaq Farooqui clean bowled Finn Allen on the first ball of the first over of the innings. After this, Devon Conway 8, Daryl Mitchell 5, Kane Williamson 9, Mark Chapman 4, Michael Bracewell 0, Glenn Phillips 18, Mitchell Santner 4, Matt Henry 12, Lockie Ferguson 2. Trent Boult remained unbeaten with three runs. In this match, Afghanistan's bowlers made a splash. Fazalhaq Farooqui and Rashid Khan took four wickets each while Mohammad Nabi took two wickets. Chasing a target of 160 for victory, New Zealand were bowled out for just 75 runs in just 15.2 overs.
Daen team's challenge against New Zealand
New Zealand is in Group C. The group includes two-time T20 World Cup winners and co-hosts West Indies and Afghanistan. The group is tough as only two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 8. Along with experienced players in the team, New Zealand also has youngsters like Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra. Although the performance of the New Zealand team was good on paper, Afghanistan strengthened their claim for the Super-8 by defeating New Zealand in the first match.
📸: Enjoy Snapshots from #AfghanAtalan's terrific bowling performance as they went past the BLACKCAPS by 84 runs. 🤩👏#T20WorldCup | #AFGvNZ | #GloriousNationVictoriousTeam pic.twitter.com/C0pbg3Nx0k
— Afghanistan Cricket Board (@ACBofficials) June 8, 2024
