'It's one of the greatest performances from us' - Rashid Khan reflects on thumping victory against New Zealand in T20 World Cup 2024

June 8, 2024, marked another momentous milestone in Afghanistan's cricketing history, as the team secured a remarkable 84-run victory over New Zealand. This triumphant result propelled Afghanistan to the top of their group, relegating New Zealand to the bottom. It was the first time in eight years that Afghanistan had triumphed over a powerhouse in the T20 World Cup, reminiscent of their victory against the West Indies, the eventual champions of the 2016 edition.   

Speaking at the post-match press conference following the historic encounter, Afghanistan's skipper, Rashid Khan, described their performance against New Zealand as "one of the greatest" in terms of defeating a team of such formidable stature. He praised the opening batters, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran, for their strategic play on a challenging batting wicket, particularly for their patience and discipline in not succumbing to pressure after facing several dot balls around the midway mark through the innings. He expressed immense pride in leading the team and lauded the group's collective effort, highlighting the significant emotional and professional achievement of the victory. 

"It's one of the greatest performances from us, especially in T20s against a big team like New Zealand. It was a great team effort, not just the bowling. The way Ibrahim and Gurbaz started again, the wicket was not easy. They didn't throw away their wickets in overs 7-10. I think that was the time when they thought about taking it deep. Overall, it was a great effort, great win for Afghanistan, and it's a great feeling to be leading this side and winning against New Zealand," mentioned Rashid during the post-match press conference.

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Notably, this marked Afghanistan's second century-run opening stand between Gurbaz and Zadran, following their impressive 154 off 88 deliveries against Uganda in their opening clash.

It's something we discussed before coming into the competition: Rashid

The dynamic all-rounder provided further elucidation, underscoring the prowess of their bowling contingent, comprising elite spinners such as himself, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi, complemented by a robust pace arsenal. He exuded assurance in their capacity to capitalize on the customary conditions of the pitches, contingent upon their unwavering precision in targeting specific areas. Rashid affirmed that a target range of 160-170 would be tenable, buoyed by their bowling acumen—a stance unanimously upheld by the team.

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"It's something we've discussed before coming into the competition. Anything around 160-170, we score on this track, with the bowling unit we have, we'll give a tough time to the opposition. We knew there was support for the bowlers in the wicket. As long as we keep things simple and hit the right areas consistently, it was going to be more effective for us, and that's what happened," added Rashid.