New Zealand seal 4th consecutive victory in World Cup 2023

In the Cricket World Cup 2023 match between New Zealand and Afghanistan, Trent Boult and Matt Henry made quick breakthroughs by dismissing Afghanistan’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran at a low score in the pursuit of 289 runs. After these early wickets, Boult and Henry managed to bowl three consecutive maiden overs, limiting Afghanistan to 28/2 in the initial 10 overs. Later, Lockie Ferguson secured a third wicket by dismissing Hashmatullah Shahidi after he scored 8 runs from 29 balls.

New Zealand has achieved a perfect record in their recent matches, putting them at the top of the table. Their success is attributed to strong performances from various team members. Despite Kane Williamson’s absence, others like Young, Ravindra, Phillips, Latham, and Chapman stepped up. The bowlers also delivered collectively. New Zealand’s cohesive unit is dominating their opponents, including England, Netherlands, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

New Zealand faces a tougher test against India, and Afghanistan will take on Pakistan, both matches holding the potential for thrilling encounters.

What did the captains say post match

Tom Latham

A pleasing start. Another great performance. We were put under pressure some times. The bowlers managed to take wickets when it was needed. We had lost three wickets in a short span of time. We thought of regrouping. They bowled fantastically well. We managed to capitalize. Glenn played a fantastic knock. The first 10 overs were superb. Mitch Santner coming in and doing his job. Pleasing all-round performance. I guess on the back of some good performances, it is pleasing. We have India and then Australia. Hopefully, the momentum will continue.

Hashmatullah Shahidi

At this level, you have to take those catches. The fielding was poor. We were a bit down because of that. Last six overs, a lot of runs scored by the NZ team. Before the 40th over, we dropped a couple of catches. We couldn’t stop the set batters. We tried but failed. The toss I can say, you can’t judge 100 percent when it comes to the pitch. The pitch was slow. We bowled well but the fielding was a concern for us. It will hurt us. We have more games to come. We will talk where we can improve and come back stronger in the next game.

Stats from New Zealand vs Afghanistan World Cup 2023

Biggest wins for New Zealand in World Cups (by runs)

181 vs East Africa, Birmingham 1975

149 vs AFG, Chennai 2023*

148 vs KEN, Gros Islet 2007

143 vs WI, Wellington 2015

Lowest totals for Afghanistan in World Cups

125 vs SA, Cardiff, 2019

139 vs NZ, Chennai, 2023*

142 vs AUS, Perth, 2015

152 vs SL, Cardiff, 2019

What did the player of the match had to say post match

Glenn Phillips | Player of the Match: The Afghanistan spinners are incredibly talented and strong. Was really pleasing to see me and Tom go well in the middle after losing a few early. It was really good the way we batted here, especially on a dusty track here. Was great how we were able to take it down till the end and get the runs. We thought we’d be able to get 60 off the last 6 if we both were out there. The way Chapman and Santner finished it off was amazing. Thought that around 250 would’ve been par. We’re in an environment where we keep working for each other and play as a team. It’s about understanding what you can do for your mate and him understanding what he can do for you. We understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses really well.

Remaining Matches of New Zealand