Under the leadership of Tom Latham, the New Zealand team have maintained an unblemished record in the ongoing tournament, securing three consecutive victories in their initial three matches.
Conversely, after suffering losses in their first two games, Afghanistan made a remarkable comeback by defeating the defending champions, England, on Sunday.
Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips take New Zealand to a fighting total
Afghanistan won the toss and opted to put New Zealand into bat. Spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman promptly justified this decision by dismissing Devon Conway in the seventh over. Although Will Young and Rachin Ravindra managed to build a solid 79-run partnership, their fortunes changed when Azmatullah Omarzai removed both of them in a single over.
Nevertheless, New Zealand’s skipper, Tom Latham, and Glenn Phillips then took charge of the game, orchestrating a formidable 144-run partnership for the fifth wicket. A brief but impactful cameo by Mark Chapman, who scored 25 runs in just 12 balls, propelled their total to 288/6 at the end of their allotted 50 overs.
Omarzai and Naveen Ul Haq made their presence felt by taking two wickets each, while Mujeeb and Rashid Khan contributed with a solitary wicket each to their name.
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Azmatullah Omarzai’s thrilling over
In a game-altering 21st over, Azmatullah’s performance was nothing short of phenomenal. He struck with his very first delivery, breaking Ravindra’s promising innings at 32 runs. But the real turning point came when the right-handed pacer managed to dismiss Young, who was in a formidable form at 54, posing a potential disaster for the Afghan side. The young sensation’s precise and pivotal bowling during the over profoundly impacted the course of New Zealand’s batting.
Here is the video:
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