Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan has tipped 84-run win against New Zealand as one of their best T20 performances. The Afghanistan team shocked the Kiwis at the Providence Stadium, Guyana in the 14th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup on Friday.
After being put into bat by NZ skipper Kane Williamson, Afghanistan posted a fighting score of 159 runs on the board. The Afghan openers – Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran – added 103 runs off 87 balls to lay down a solid foundation.
Gurbaz scored a fine knock of 80 runs whereas Zadran added 44 runs but the rest of the Afghanistan batters could not make any substantial contribution.
On the other hand, the BlackCaps were blown away for 75 runs, with only two batters reaching the double-digit figures. Fazalhaq Farooqi continued his rich form, returning with 4-17 in 3.2 overs he bowled whereas Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan bagged the same bowling figures in the four overs he bowled to lead from the front.
Rashid Khan said in the post-match presentation, “One of our best T20 performances from us, especially against a big team like New Zealand. The wicket wasn’t easy to score, Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted really well, it was a superb performance with the bat, ball and the field. I’m really happy to be leading this team. I was fine with that (on the slow start), we scored 30 odd in the first six overs, we just chatted about going on from there, playing our natural game, keeping the scoreboard ticking and that’s what happened.”
He added, “We knew anything around 160-170, we’ve the bowlers for these wickets – we just needed to hit consistent lines and lengths, Nabi’s second over, that was a positive, there was a bit of spin. If we use our skills, it’s tough to chase down 160 against us. The energy in the field, the effort, the running between the wickets was amazing. Win or lose, we just need to give our 100%, if we don’t give it, we’ll miss something. I don’t worry about the result as long as we put in the effort. He has been giving us the base (on Fazalhaq Farooqi), the way he’s bowled in the two matches has been amazing, he’s very skillful, but he can continue to work on his bases and become even better.”
Afghanistan came up with a brilliant performance as they came up with a collective effort, especially with the ball. The Rashid Khan-led team will next take on Papua New Guinea at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba, Trinidad on Thursday.
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