ISLAMABAD: New Zealand middle order batters Tom Latham and Glenn Philips managed to take their side to a decent total after losing three quick wickets against Afghanistan in the Wednesday ICC World Cup match at Chennai, India. After losing three quick wickets for just two runs between the 20th and 22nd over, both batters came in the middle, faced the pressure, built a solid partnership of 144 runs, and took their side to a secure position. New Zealand scored 288 for 6 in 50 overs.
Earlier, winning the toss, Afghanistan decided to bowl first. The Kiwis’ openers, Devon Conway and Will Young, took a watchful start in the first 6 overs. However, in 7th over, when the score reached 30, the inform and last match player of the match, Mujeeb-ur-Rehman, managed to remove Conway on 20. Conway was replaced by Rachin Ravindra, who along with Young, pushed the scoreboard ahead. Young also completed his brilliant half-century. In the 21st over, Azamatullah Umarzi dismissed Young on 54. It was the time when Afghanistan came back in the game, as these two-three overs were more lethal for the Kiwis. In the same over, Azam removed Ravindra on 32. The next over of Rashid witnessed the dismissal of inform Daryl Mitchel on just 1 run.
Losing three quick wickets took the Kiwis under pressure, and it was predicted at the stage that they would hardly put below 230 in 50 overs. However, the middle order batters Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips managed to hold their nerves, faced the pressure, and stayed on the crease. Both completed their splendid half-centuries and put Afghanistan on a defensive mood. As a result, Afghanistan came under pressure, and their fielders dropped 4 to 5 catches, making it even more easy for the two batters to accelerate the inning. Both shared a splendid 144 partnership for the side when Naveen got rid of Philips. He scored 71 runs on 80 balls, including 4 sixes and four boundaries. At the stage, New Zealand were 254 for 5 in 47.1 overs to bring some relief for Afghanistan. Naveen dismissed Tom Latham in the same over, who scored 68 of 74. Number seven and 8th batters Mark Chapman and Mitchell Santner added some quick runs to the total in the remaining 3 overs. New Zealand scored 288 runs for the loss of 6 wickets in 50 overs.
From Afghanistan, Azmatullah and Naveen-ul-Haq got 2 wickets each, while Rashid and Mujeeb took 1 wicket each.
New Zealand Team
Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c)†, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, and Trent Boult
Afghanistan Team
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil †, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Naveen-ul-Haq
