Seasoned all-rounder Gulbadin Naib struck a fluent half-century, but Afghanistan were left feeling they had fallen slightly short after posting 182 for six against New Zealand in their Group D clash of the T20 World Cup on Sunday.
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Opting to bat first, Afghanistan found run-scoring tough against a disciplined New Zealand bowling attack on a surface that offered just enough slowness to keep batters in check.
Naib (63 off 35 balls) and Sediqullah Atal (29 off 24) steadied the innings with a 79-run stand for the third wicket, yet momentum was hard to come by. Afghanistan progressed steadily rather than explosively, reaching 44/2 in the powerplay, 77/2 at the halfway mark and 130/3 after 15 overs.
The final five overs yielded 52 runs, but the lack of a sustained death-over assault meant the total felt a touch under par.
Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27 off 22) showed early promise with a few inventive strokes before Lockie Ferguson’s well-disguised slower delivery rattled his stumps in the sixth over. Ferguson struck again in the same over to remove Ibrahim Zadran, further stalling Afghanistan’s start.
Naib injected impetus through the middle overs, bringing up his fifty in just 29 balls and taking on Jacob Duffy with two sixes and a four. Atal played a supporting role but struggled to lift the tempo before falling to Duffy.
Darwish Rasooli (20 off 13) chipped in with a brisk cameo as Afghanistan crossed 150, but Naib’s dismissal to Rachin Ravindra in the 18th over stalled hopes of a strong finish. Late blows from Azmatullah Omarzai helped push the total past 180, though Afghanistan would have preferred a few more runs on the board.
(By PTI Inputs)
