ICC U-19 World Cup 2018: Afghanistan Stuns New Zealand to Enter Semifinal

If Afghanistan’s impressive five-wicket win over Pakistan in the very first game of the tournament was not enough to warn the other teams; their latest thumping win over New Zealand in the quarterfinal will serve that purpose.

New Zealand, the in-form hosts, had entered the match after three impressive wins in the group stage while Afghanistan had lost to Ireland in their last group game.

However, reputation and form counted for little, as Afghanistan thrashed their illustrious opponents by 202 runs to enter the semifinal of the tournament. Skipper Naveen-ul-Haq’s decision to bat first was proved right by openers Rahmanullah and Ibrahim Zadran, as the duo gave the team a stable platform by adding 117 runs for the opening wicket.

The big stand was broken when Sandeep Patel castled Rahmanullah for 69. Seven runs later, New Zealand got another breakthrough in the form of Ikram Ali Khil, but Zadran and Baheer Shah steadied the ship with a 47-run stand.

Darwish Rasooli (3) failed to get going while Nisar Wahdat (20) also could not score much, as Afghanistan found themselves 226 for five with just six overs remaining. A 300-plus total was looking unlikely, but it soon became a reality after Azmatullah played a whirlwind knock of 66 off 23 balls with the help of three fours and seven sixes to guide his side to a mammoth total. Azmatullah was well supported by Baheer Shah who remained unbeaten on 67.

In reply, New Zealand never got the impetus to chase down the big total, as they were all out for 107. Their chase was derailed very early in the innings when Rachin Ravindra was run-out for a golden duck. Mujeeb Zadran then accounted for Jacob Bhula for five to leave the Kiwis reeling at 12 for two. Even before they could recover from the two setbacks, they lost their in-form duo Finn Allen and Kaylum Boshier with just 20 runs on the board.

A 66-run stand between Katene Clarke and Dale Phillips revived New Zealand’s hopes for a while, but Qais Ahmad ended those bleak hopes by dismissing both of them in quick succession, thus reducing the hosts to 93 for seven. The lower order could not provide much resistance as New Zealand were all out for 107.

Brief score:

Afghanistan 309 for 6 (Rahmanullah 69, Zadran 68, Patel 2-13) beat New Zealand 107 for 10 (Clarke 38, Zadran 4-13 , Ahmad 4-33) by 202 runs.