Afghanistan Recorded First Victory Against New Zealand

An Asian nation who are growing more rapidly than any other country in the game, Afghanistan recorded its first victory against New Zealand in the 14th game of the T20 World Cup 2024 on the 8th of June. They thrashed the Blackcaps by 84 runs by exhibiting an excellent display of bowling in Guyana.

A clinical bowling performance from Afghanistan on the back of skipper Rashid Khan’s 4/17 and Fazalhaq Farooqi’s 4/17 helped them fold the Kiwis for a meager 75 runs in a run chase of 160 runs. First, new ball bowler Farooqi claimed three wickets in the powerplay, and then the duo of Rashid and Nabi weaved magic to share six wickets between them by bowling on tricky areas. Only Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry crossed the double-digit score for New Zealand.

After getting invited to bat first, Afghanistan put up a commendable total of 159/6 in 20 overs. Openers Rahmatullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran stitched a 103-run partnership where Gurbaj scored 80 off 56 balls while Zadran added 44 off 41 balls. All-rounder Omarzai played a cameo of 22 off 13 balls to contribute. For New Zealand, Boult and Henry grabbed two wickets respectively.

Wicket-keeper batsman Rahmatullah Gurbaz was given the Man of the Match award for his sensational 80 in 56 balls.