Afghanistan vs New Zealand, 14th Match, Group C at Providence, T20 World Cup, Jun 07 2024 - Match Result

11:10pm And that will be all from us for this game. There is still plenty of T20 World Cup action to get stuck into and a very engrossing game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka is currently on, with Bangladesh chasing 125. Until next time, this is goodbye from me (Shashwat), Chandan, Ranjith and Thilak. Take care, folks!

Rashid Khan, Afghanistan captain: One of the greatest performances from us in T20I cricket against a big team. It is a great team effort. The way Ibrahim and Gurbaz started again…the wicket was not easy. They did not throw away their wickets in overs 7-10. Great win for Afghanistan and it is a privilege to be leading this side and winning against NZ. (On the chat during the drinks break) They were the set batters and we told them it was fine. We wanted to make sure we played positively from that point and wanted them to play their natural game. The way they took responsibility was great. (On the score) Anything around 160-170, with the bowling unit we have, we will give tough competition to the opposition, as long as we hit the right areas consistently. The spinners and especially the seamers, the way Nabi bowled the second over - that gave us a sign the ball was turning. The skill we have as a bowling unit, if we use that, it will be hard for the opposition to score 160. (On their aggressive fielding) That is something which gives energy to everyone. It started from the batting, with how Ibrahim and Gurbaz were running. We have to give 100% effort, losing or winning does not matter (to me). 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. I don't care about the wickets, the energy around the group is what makes me happy. The way Farooqi has bowled has been amazing. He is a skilful bowler. Some things to be improved but once he understands how skilful he is, he will be an even dangerous bowler.

Kane Williamson, New Zealand captain: Congratulations to Afghanistan, they simply outplayed us in all facets. To get a total like that on a fiddly surface, they kept wickets in hand and played it beautifully. 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. We will chat about it, review and move on quickly. It (the games) comes thick and fast and we need to be better. With the bat in hand, you want to get a partnership together. They were excellent. The skill they have was certainly on show. The fielding in the first ten overs, it is difficult on a wicket like that when you are not putting things together in the field. (On the match against West Indies) I think it is about taking a step in the right direction first. Our performance was not good enough. We have another big challenge coming for us and it is about putting together a performance we can be proud of. The opportunities we had and didn't take - on a surface like that, it goes a long way in changing the outcome. Not over-analysing but there are some things we need to address.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Player of the Match: 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. In the first innings, the wicket was not easy. (On the message in the drinks break) I did not start that well but me and Ibrahim were discussing to keep calm and play good cricket shots. We thought 130-140 would be a good score. Credit goes to the bowlers as well. To do it against a team like NZ, it was unbelievable. We (Ibrahim and me) have a very good combination and we always discuss. If it is not my day, he tries to take on the bowlers. If it is my day, I ask him to give me the strike. From the coaches, the message is to always encourage the players. Even when I am tired, I try to be active and give some energy to the bowler as well.

10:45pm The demolition job is complete. A truly commanding display by Afghanistan and they have just been too hot to handle for New Zealand. This is their first win over New Zealand in T20I cricket, and what a way to get there.

Farooqi got it all underway with the new ball, like he did against Uganda. Allen was dismissed off the first ball of the innings, with Conway following soon after. Mitchell could not get going either, and that left NZ reeling at 28-3.

Things, though, did not get any better for the Kiwis post that. Rashid then entered the fray and bamboozled the batters, picking up a tidy four-for, which included the scalps of Williamson, Chapman and Bracewell. Nabi chipped in with Santner's wicket, before Farooqi iced the cake with his fourth.

As for NZ, well, everything that could have gone wrong for them went wrong. If you thought their fielding display was rusty, their batting effort was just as out of sync (if not more). Only two of their batters made double-digit scores, with extras being the third-highest contributor, and that sort of tells you how pear-shaped it all went for the Kiwis.

Farooqi returns too

Naveen is back. Can he wrap this up for Afghanistan?

Boult is the last batter in. He is at the non-striker's end for now. Noor gets a bowl, meanwhile