(AFP Credit)
On June 8th, Afghanistan’s captain Rashid Khan commended the team’s unified performance following their impressive 84-run triumph against New Zealand in the Twenty20 World Cup.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadrau, the opening batsmen, teamed up to accumulate 103 runs, propelling Afghanistan to a formidable total of 159. Subsequently, Rashid Khan and Fazalhaq Farooqi each secured four wickets, dismantling New Zealand’s batting lineup, which crumbled to a mere 75 runs.
“One of the greatest performances from us in T20I cricket against a big team. It is a great team effort,” Rashid said after the win at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
“Great win for Afghanistan and it is a privilege to be leading this side and winning against New Zealand … It started from the batting, with how Ibrahim and Gurbaz were running.
“We have to give 100% effort, losing or winning does not matter . That is how we prepare. If we don’t give 100%, we will be missing something. I don’t care about the result a lot but it is about the effort.”
Gurbaz, named player of the match, echoed his captain’s sentiment, adding: “Nothing is more special.
“We were waiting for this victory for three years. We finally beat them. The trust and the belief was there from the very start. We have the belief that we can beat any team on this surface.”
New Zealand captain Kane Williamson conceded that his team was thoroughly outperformed “in all facets” but emphasized the importance of not dwelling on the outcome.
“To get a total like that on a fiddly surface, they kept wickets in hand and played it beautifully,” Williamson said.
“Not good enough from us. Quick turnaround, we have to regroup quickly and onto the next challenge. The boys were focussed and were working hard in preparation for this game but it was not our best performance.”
