Trent Boult and Matt Henry struck early as Afghanistan lost openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran cheaply in the 289-run chase. Following the dismissals the two speedsters combined to deliver three consecutive maidens as Afghanistan accumulated 28/2 in the first 10 overs. Lockie Ferguson then injected a third blow as he removed Hashmatullah Shahidi for 8(29).
Pacer ace Trent Boult teamed up with Ferguson as the Kiwi bowlers shared five wickets to make sure Afghanistan suffered a batting collapse at the Chepauk. Mitchell Santner, who became the second New Zealand bowler to take 100 wickets, removed Mohammad Nabi, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi as New Zealand defeated Afghanistan by 149 runs.
Earlier, Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips slammed respective half-centuries to help New Zealand pile a stiff 288/6 in 50 overs. Latham scored 68(74), while Phillips smashed 71(80) before getting out against Naveen-ul-Haq in the same over. Sloppy fielding also helped New Zealand up to a certain extent as Afghanistan missed multiple chances throughout the course of the innings. Mark Chapman then chipped in with a late cameo, hammering 25 off 12 deliveries.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman gave Afghanistan a good start after they won the toss and invited New Zealand to bat first in the World Cup encounter in Chennai on Wednesday. He trapped Devon Conway LBW for 20(18). However, the fielding was bit off-colour. Will Young and Rachin Ravindra were dropped early in the innings before Azmatullah Omarzai bagged two wickets in his first over to spark a mini-collapse. Afghanistan fielded an unchanged playing XI while New Zealand brought Young in place of Kane Williamson, who has been ruled out due to a fracture on the left thumb.
After stunning defending champions England by 69 runs, Afghanistan were looking to make two wins in a row against New Zealand in a spin-friendly Chepauk. New Zealand, on the other hand, arrived in the contest on the back of a dominating win over Bangladesh. The Kiwis maintained their 100 percent record with a win over Afghanistan. With the win, New Zealand have also climbed to the pole position in the World Cup standings.
Here’s what all has happened in the World Cup encounter between New Zealand and Afghanistan at Chepauk:
- Afghanistan won the toss and opted to field.
- New Zealand accumulated 43/1 in 1st powerplay.
- Will Young slammed his second consecutive half-century in the World Cup.
- New Zealand reached 105-1 in the first 19 overs.
- From 109/1 to 110/4 – New Zealand suffered a mini batting collapse inside 22 overs.
- Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips slammed respective half-centuries to help New Zealand pile 288/6
- Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson shared five wickets as Afghanistan lost 8 wickets for 138 in 34 overs.
- Ferguson and Mitchell Santner bagged 3 wickets each as Afghanistan folded for 139 in 34.4 overs.
- Spinner Mitchell Santner completed 100 wickets in ODIs.
- Kane Williamson missed the match due to a fracture on left thumb.
- Afghanistan stunned England by 69 runs in the previous match.
- New Zealand have now won 4 matches in a row at the ODI World Cup.
