Afghanistan defeated New Zealand by 84 runs, with to strong performances from Fazalhaq Farooqi (4/17), Rashid Khan (4/17) and Mohammad Nabi (2/16).
Glenn Phillips (18) and Matt Henry (12) remained the only two Kiwis to reach double figures. If Farooqi started the mayhem with the new ball, scooping up three wickets in the powerplay, Rashid and Nabi worked their magic against a naive and rusty New Zealand, guiding Afghanistan to a convincing victory.
Earlier, Afghanistan scored 159 runs in six innings after being called into bat. Rahmanullah Gurbaz hit an impressive 80 off just 56 balls, but his opening partner Ibrahim Zadran was dismissed for 44. Azmatullah Omarzai delivered an electrifying cameo of 22 runs off 13 balls. Trent Boult (2/22), Matt Henry (2/37) and Lockie Ferguson (1/28) all contributed to New Zealand’s victory.
First Innings-
Afghanistan Score – 159/6 in 20.0 overs
Afghanistan batting performance
Rahmanullah Gurbaz 80(56)
Ibrahim Zadran 44(41)
Trent Boult 4-22-2
Matt Henry 4-37-2
Second Innings–
New Zealand Score – 75/10 in 15.2 overs
New Zealand batting performance
Glenn Phillips 18(18)
Matt Henry 12(17)
Rashid Khan 4-17-4
Fazalhaq Farooqi 3.2-17-4
