New Zealand National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Players: Afghanistan is on cloud nine; they have two wins on the bounce, a superb net run rate, and almost one foot into the playoffs. On the other hand, this loss will hurt New Zealand, which means their next match against West Indies will become a must-win. It’s a big weekend of T20 cricket. Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are in the middle of a gripping contest themselves.
NZ vs. AFG Playing 11: New Zealand National Cricket Team Vs. Afghanistan National Cricket Team Players
NZ Probable XI
- Rachin Ravindra
- Finn Allen
- Kane Williamson (c)
- Mark Chapman
- Daryl Mitchell
- Glenn Phillips (wk)
- Michael Bracewell
- Mitchell Santner
- Trent Boult
- Lockie Ferguson
- Tim Southee
AFG Probable XI
- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk)
- Ibrahim Zadran
- Gulbadin Naib
- Azmatullah Omarzai
- Mohammad Nabi
- Najibullah Zadran
- Karim Janat
- Rashid Khan (c)
- Noor Ahmad
- Naveen-ul-Haq
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
Rashid Khan
It was one of our best T20 performances, especially against a big team like New Zealand. The wicket wasn’t easy to score, and Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted well. It was a superb performance with the bat, ball and field. I’m pleased to be leading this team. I was fine with that (on the slow start); we scored 30 odd in the first six overs; we just chatted about going on from there, playing our natural game, and keeping the scoreboard ticking, and that’s what happened. We knew anything around 160-170, and we have got the bowlers for these wickets – we just needed to hit consistent lines and lengths.
Nabi’s second over was a positive, and there was a bit of spin. If we use our skills, it’s tough to chase down 160 against us. The energy in the field, the effort, the running between the wickets was amazing. Win or lose, we just need to give our 100%. If we don’t give it, we’ll miss something. I don’t worry about the result as long as we put in the effort. He has been giving us the base (on Fazalhaq Farooqi). The way he’s bowled in the two matches has been amazing; he’s very skillful, but he can continue to work on his bases and become even better.
Kane Williamson
Yeah, first, congrats to AFG; they simply outplayed us in all facets. To get to that total on that surface, they kept their wickets and made a good score. We’ll have to put this behind us quickly and get back to our next challenge. The boys did work hard in preparations for this match (on the lack of match practice), but it was hard, and we need to move on quickly. Games come thick and fast in this tournament. 160 was a tough chase, but we needed partnerships; the skills they had made it difficult for us (on AFG’s spinners).
Our fielding was a letdown, particularly in the first ten overs. And we had our chances, but we didn’t use them. We need to take a step in the right direction. We know we are better than this, and we’ll have to go away and give ourselves the best chance to go into the next match. So we didn’t take our opportunities, and it goes a long way in changing the outcome of the match. Once they had a score, their bowlers executed their skills well. We’ll have a talk about this and then look forward to coming back well in the next match.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Player of the Match
Nothing is (more) special than this. We have been waiting for this victory for the last three years. We faced them, and they beat us, finally, we beat them. The trust and the belief were there from the very start. We had the trust that we could beat any team in this competition. The wicket was not easy, but the total was very good, and I was very happy. I was actually a bit frustrated, and I didn’t start that well. Ibrahim and I were discussing that we should keep calm and play some good cricket shots. We thought 130-140 would be a good total, but I played some good shots, and Azmatullah played very well as well. Credit goes to the bowlers as well.
They bowled very well against a team like NZ, which is unbelievable. This is a very good partnership (Ibrahim-Gurbaz) as openers. We have a very good combination. Sometimes (if) it’s not my day, he tries to take on the bowlers. If it’s my day, I tell him to give the strike to me. The conversations go on. You have to encourage the bowlers. As a wicketkeeper, my job is to keep everyone active on the ground. I try to give some energy to the bowlers as well.