Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan capitalised on the pacers’ foundation in the powerplay by taking Kane Williamson’s vital wicket in the 2024 T20 World Cup Group C match. The leg-spinner delivered the opening ball of his delivery immediately after the powerplay at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday, June 7.
In chase of 160 runs, New Zealand got off to the worst possible start when Fazalhaq Farooqi dismissed Finn Allen for a golden duck with the first delivery of the innings. The left-arm seamer proceeded to wreak havoc, reducing the Blackcaps to 28-3 within the powerplay itself.
Skipper Kane Williamson had to play a significant part in the run chase in the middle overs to create the groundwork. However, the right-handed hitter died while attempting to play his signature dab to third base.
Rashid Khan floated the ball outside the off stump while also putting a slip in place, a strategy that succeeded right away. Gulbadin Naib made an excellent reaction catch to extend New Zealand’s agony.
View the dismissal right here:
Williamson’s dismissal left New Zealand behind 33-4 in the seventh over. He scored only nine runs from 13 deliveries as the Kiwis suffered one of their most humbling losses.
Rashid Khan dominated the middle overs with his spell
The leg-spinner did not simply take Williamson’s wicket; he managed the last part of New Zealand’s downward spiral. He let up only seven runs in his first over, but the rest of his spell was much more promising.
Rashid Khan returned to the attack for the ninth over and struck off successive deliveries to get things going, dismissing Mark Chapman and Michael Bracewell. He nearly missed out on a hat-trick, but the damage had been done. Rashid surrendered only one run from his third over, with his stats reading 3-0-13-3.
Rashid also made the catch in the deep to finish Glenn Phillips’ innings and bring Afghanistan one step closer to a memorable victory. The Afghans, who already have a very good net run rate after their gigantic win against Uganda, have a potential to sprint away with the group with a massive second win on the way.
