Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan described their 84-run beating of New Zealand in the T20 World Cup 2024 as “one of the outstanding achievements” of the team in T20 cricket. Afghanistan’s resistance of 159 was a one-sided matter, with Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid himself getting four wickets for 75 runs.
“It’s one of our best achievements, particularly in the T20s over a big team like New Zealand,” Rashid remarked at the time of the presentation. “It’s a tremendous team effort. It is not only about bowling. It’s the batting, as Ibrahim [Zadran] and [Rahmanullah] Gurbaz started. Again, the wicket proved difficult to score on.
Afghanistan is At the Top of the Group C List
Afghanistan now leads the Group C standings after their second consecutive win, which was aided by Gurbaz and Ibrahim’s second-century opening pair. New Zealand, however, is at the bottom with a net run rate of -4.200 after losing their tournament opener by a large margin. They now have a difficult route to qualifying for the Super Eights, since their next game is against co-hosts West Indies in Tarouba.
Rashid stated, “The manner they played ensured that they did not lose wickets early on when they got a few of the dot balls from overs seven to nine. I believe it was when they considered going deep, and overall it was a fantastic effort and triumph for Afghanistan, and it’s an incredible feeling to be leading this team and defeating New Zealand.”
Rashid’s Confidence in Afghanistan’s Bowling Attack
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Rashid went on to say that a score of 160-170 would be acceptable on this surface since he was confident in his bowling attack, despite Mujeeb Ur Rahman‘s absence due to a hand injury.
“We can score anywhere between 160 and 170 on this surface, and with our bowlers team, we will give our competitors a hard time,”, Rashid said. We realized there was backing for the bowlers behind the boundary. It would be more beneficial for us if we kept things simple and targeted the correct areas, which is what happened.
The spinners, especially the seamers, started bowling well, and Nabi delivered the second over, providing us an excellent sign that the ball was turning. Rain was present, but we were still pitching tightly, wickets to the wicket, and if we use our talents [to their full ability], the other team would have a difficult time getting 160.”
Fielding was the most worsening aspect, according to Williamson. New Zealand team captain Kane Williamson admitted they were “outplayed” in every aspect of the game on a weak and rough Providence ground. Williamson also regretted multiple fielding errors by New Zealand, which enabled Afghanistan to surge after a careful beginning.
“The most aggravating aspect, I believe, was the defending in the very first 10 overs,” Williamson stated. “It’s impossible to limit opponents on a pitch like that when you’re not getting it together in the stadium. We undoubtedly had chances throughout the very first half, but we failed to capitalize on them.
“It’s the chances that we had but didn’t use, and on the surface level, that may make a big difference in the score and conclusion. We had a handful of innings to make it manageable, but we needed to do a lot right in the second game with what was available, and they delivered admirably.”
About the Author
Zartash Zulfiqar is a passionate cricket writer whose love for cricket shines through in every word. From match analyses to player profiles, she delivers insightful commentary that resonates with fans worldwide. Stay tuned for the latest from the world of cricket, brought to you by Zartash.
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