NZ beat Afghanistan, India crash out of T20 World Cup
New Zealand have qualified for the semi-finals of the 2021 T20 World Cup with a dominant win over Afghanistan. The Black Caps chased down 125, with Kane Williamson and Devon Conway getting them home. With this, the 2007 World T20 champions, India, have crashed out of the ongoing tournament. The Kiwis join Pakistan, England, and Australia in the last four.
How did the match pan out?
Afghanistan were off to a shaky start after skipper Mohammad Nabi elected to bat. They were reduced to 19/3, with Adam Milne, Trent Boult, and Tim Southee striking in the powerplay. Najibullah Zadran turned out to be Afghanistan's lone warrior with a 73-run knock. He guided them to 124/8. New Zealand's top-order batters made the run-chase one-sided in the end.
Zadran slams his second half-century in T20 World Cups
Najibullah Zadran came to bat after Afghanistan were in a spot of bother. The left-handed batter eventually raced to his sixth half-century in T20 Internationals. Zadran shared two crucial stands, with Gulbadin Naib and Mohammad Nabi respectively. The former smashed 73 (48) with the help of 6 fours and 3 sixes. This was his second fifty in the T20 World Cup.
Afghanistan register forgettable records
Afghanistan were the second-fastest scoring side in the powerplay before today's match. Paradoxically, they have registered their lowest score in the powerplay (23/3) today. Their previous lowest was 47/2 vs India. Moreover, Afghanistan scored 31 runs in the last five overs, the fewest in this WC (31 runs). They made 63 vs Scotland, 54 vs Pakistan, 51 vs Namibia, and 56 vs India.
Once again, Ish Sodhi strikes in his first over
Ish Sodhi dismissed Gulbadin Naib in his very first over. He has struck in his first over of every match in the ongoing T20 WC (vs Pakistan: sixth ball, vs India: fourth ball, vs Scotland: fifth ball, vs Namibia: second ball, vs Afghanistan: sixth ball).
Rashid Khan completes 400 wickets in T20 cricket
Rashid Khan gave Afghanistan a crucial breakthrough in the form of Guptill. As a result, the leg-spinner raced to 400 wickets in T20 cricket. He became only the fourth bowler after Dwayne Bravo (553), Sunil Narine (425), and Imran Tahir (420) to have attained this feat in the format. Since Rashid's debut, no other bowler has taken even 300 T20 wickets.
India fail to reach the semi-finals
New Zealand's win over Afghanistan means that India have failed to make the last four. India lost their first two encounters to Pakistan and New Zealand respectively. Although India won against Afghanistan and Scotland, they couldn't get through. This is the first time India haven't qualified for the the knockouts in an ICC event since the 2012 T20 World Cup (in Sri Lanka).
Third-most semi-final appearances in ICC events
New Zealand have reached the semi-finals of an ICC event for the 14th time, now the third-most among all teams. They are behind Australia (16), India (15), and Pakistan (15) on the tally. Earlier, the Kiwis were tied with England (13).
A look at the other records
Southee became only the third bowler to take 105 or more wickets in T20 Internationals. The New Zealand pace spearhead now has 106 scalps from 88 T20Is at an average of 24.58. Southee requires two wickets to overtake Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga (107). Rashid (103), who took his 400th T20 wicket today, follows Southee. The former finished the tournament with eight wickets.
