T20 World Cup Upset: Afghanistan Thrashes New Zealand by 84 Runs

In another upset at the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan bowled out the experienced New Zealand team for just 75 runs, defending their target of 160 and winning the match by 84 runs.

Afghan bowlers trapped the Kiwi batsmen from the start with their precise and spinning deliveries.

Except for Glenn Phillips and Matt Henry, no New Zealand batsman reached double figures.

Earlier, Afghanistan, led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz’s aggressive 80-run innings, set a target of 160 runs for New Zealand.

In the 14th match of the T20 World Cup, Afghan openers provided a brilliant start with a 103-run partnership against New Zealand.

Ibrahim Zadran scored 44 runs off 41 balls, while Rahmanullah Gurbaz made 80 runs off 56 balls before getting out in the final over.

Afghanistan’s first wicket fell at 103 runs in the 14th over when Ibrahim Zadran was bowled by Henry.

Azmatullah Omarzai was the second to be dismissed, scoring 22 runs off 13 balls. Following him, Mohammad Nabi was out for a duck, and captain Rashid Khan was run out for 6 runs.

Gulbadin Naib, who came in to bat at number seven, did not score any runs, while Karim Janat and Najibullah Zadran remained unbeaten with one run each.

The Afghan team scored 159 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in their allotted 20 overs.

For New Zealand, Trent Boult and Matt Henry each took 2 wickets, while Ferguson claimed one.

In the Group C match played in Providence, New Zealand won the toss and chose to bowl first against Afghanistan.

Afghanistan had won their first match against Uganda by a huge margin of 125 runs.

This was New Zealand’s first match in the event.

Click Fact Book on Cricket