Afghanistan, looking for their second victory in the competition, took on New Zealand, who had won their first three ODI World Cup matches. At MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, Afghanistan won the toss and chose to bowl first, facing the same squad as in their previous match. Conversely, New Zealand was forced to make a substitution in the form of Will Young for Kane Williamson. The Kiwis scored 288 runs against Afghanistan. Here is a recap of the first innings.
Afghanistan restrict New Zealand to a slow start
Afghanistan’s opening bowler, Mujeeb ur Rahman, gave up just two runs in the first over of play. Starting from the other end, Fazalhaq Farooqi faced Will Young in a maiden over. In the second over, Rahmat Shah dropped Young at slip on the fourth ball. A ball in Mujeeb’s second over was hit for a four by Devon Conway. Young broke the chains in the fifth over, blasting Mujeeb for a six, having only managed three runs in the first fifteen balls he faced.
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After costing a lot of runs in his first three overs, Mujeeb was granted a fourth over, and he vindicated his captain’s faith by getting rid of Devon Conway and ending their 30-run opening partnership. After Rachin Ravindra was almost out of the game in Mujeeb’s next over, the skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi dropped a simple catch at short mid-wicket, denying him his second wicket. In his final over of the powerplay, Naveen ul Haq entered the assault and gave up just one run.
When Mohammad Nabi entered the attack, he had a quiet over in which he gave up just two runs. In the 12th over, Naveen, who was on the other end, too maintained his composure as New Zealand reached their fifty.
Ravindra and Young start accelerating
In Nabi’s second over, Young and Ravindra each struck a six, scoring fifteen runs. As the opener began to approach his fifty, Young again blasted Nabi for a six in his next over. In three overs, each batter scored thirty runs (13–15). In the sixteenth over, Young welcomed Rashid Khan into the attack with a four. In the eighteenth over in 57 balls, Young reached his half-century with another four. In the subsequent over, Ravindra hit Naveen for a four.
New Zealand lost wickets in a flurry
In the 21st over, Azmatullah Omarzai entered the assault and quickly changed the course of the match. Omarzai dismissed Ravindra with the game’s second ball. With two fours and one six in 41 balls, Ravindra scored 32 runs. He removed Young from the game in the same over after the New Zealand opener edged the outside-off delivery to the keeper. Young struck four fours and three sixes his route to scoring 54 runs in 64 balls. On the other end, Rashid sacked Darryl Mitchell. Mitchell attempted to pull a shortish delivery from Rashid, but it went straight to Ibrahim Zadran at mid-wicket. New Zealand lost both of their set batsmen and went from 109-1 to 110-3 in nine balls.
Phillips and Latham guide New Zealand to a good score
Afghanistan placed New Zealand under pressure after they lost three wickets and added just one run to the total. There needs to be consistency from Glenn Phillips and Tom Latham, the stand-in captain. Initially, neither of the Kiwi batsmen scored many runs—just 13 in six overs (23-28).
Phillips hit Omarzai’s bowling in the 29th over to score the pair’s maiden boundary. Phillips blasted Nabi for another four in the subsequent over. For his second spell, Mujeeb returned to the attack and opened with a four-run over. The experienced spinner gave up only one run in the next over, thanks in part to Nabi at the other end of the keeping things tight. In his subsequent over, Mujeeb showed his pricey nature by giving up 10 runs when Latham hit him for a four. As New Zealand began to retake some momentum, Phillips blasted a six in the following over. Returning to the attack, Fazalhaq and Rashid once again controlled the scoring rate, allowing only 23 runs to be scored in six overs (35-40).
New Zealand eye up a big total
In the last overs, Rashid bowled the opening over. He gave up a boundary to begin with, but on the final ball of his over, he came dangerously close to dismissing Latham. At that moment, Mujeeb lost another catch and offered Latham a lifeline. When he came to bowl the following over, Phillips crushed him for a six. It took Phillips 69 balls to get his half-century in the 43rd over. After Rashid finished his allotted ten overs, Farooqi took his place. Phillips welcomed him with sixes, which led to a 16-run over. Naveen came back into the attack and conceded 10 runs in the 46th over as Latham completed his fifty in 67 balls. Omarzai replaced Farooqi and conceded 18 runs in the 47th over as Latham hit him for two sixes and a four. Naveen in the next over ended the 144-run partnership by dismissing Phillips. Phillips scored 71 runs in 80 balls hitting four fours and sixes each. In the same over Naveen dismissed the other set batter as he bowled the Kiwi skipper. Latham scored 68 runs in 73 balls hitting three fours and two sixes.