Afghanistan achieved a historic win against New Zealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 at Providence Stadium on Friday.
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson won the toss and elected to field first, allowing Afghanistan to post a total of 159 runs. Afghanistan’s opening batsmen Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran formed a partnership of 103 runs off 87 deliveries, with Gurbaz leading the innings until the 20th over, scoring 80 runs off 56 balls.
New Zealand struggled in response, being bowled out for 75 runs in 15.2 overs. This victory marks Afghanistan’s second significant win in Group C of the T20 World Cup, having previously defeated Uganda by 125 runs at the same venue on Tuesday. Afghanistan now tops Group C.
Left-arm pace bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi took the first wicket of Finn Allen, followed by three more wickets in the powerplay, making a total of four wickets for 17 runs. Captain Rashid Khan also secured four wickets for 17 runs, including the crucial wicket of Williamson. Mohammad Nabi contributed with two wickets for 16 runs.
