KATHMANDU: Afghanistan triumphed over New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup cricket match on Saturday morning, securing a significant 84-run victory.
This marks Afghanistan’s first-ever win against New Zealand in a T20 World Cup.
Chasing a target of 160 runs set by Afghanistan, New Zealand was all out for just 75 runs in 15.2 overs.
This win is Afghanistan’s second consecutive victory in the tournament.
Previously, they defeated Uganda by a massive margin of 125 runs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi played a crucial role in restricting New Zealand, taking 4 wickets for just 17 runs in 3.2 overs.
Rashid Khan also shone with 4 wickets, conceding only 17 runs in his 4 overs.
For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips scored 18 runs off 18 balls, and Matt Henry made 12 runs off 17 balls, but no other batsmen could reach double figures.
Earlier, Afghanistan, after losing the toss, posted 159 runs for 6 wickets.
Openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a solid foundation with a century partnership for the first wicket.
Zadran scored 44 runs off 41 balls, while Gurbaz top-scored with 80 runs.
Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 22 runs off 13 balls.
For New Zealand, Trent Boult and Matt Henry took 2 wickets each, while Lockie Ferguson claimed 1 wicket.
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