ODI World Cup 2023, Match 16, NZ vs AFG Stats Review: NZ's second-largest victory in WC, Mitchell Santner's feat and other stats

Runners-up from the last two editions, New Zealand continued their red-hot form as they thrashed Afghanistan by a huge margin of 149 runs in Match No. 16 of the ongoing sixteenth edition of the ODI World Cup. Will Young, Glenn Phillips, and Tom Latham struck their respective half-centuries as the Kiwis posted a big total of 288/6 on the board, eventually dismissing the Afghans for a mere 139. With this, the BlackCaps have now won their opening four encounters to extend their dominance.

Speaking about how the game unfolded in Chennai, the Afghanistan skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi won the toss and elected to field first. New Zealand batter Devon Conway got dismissed for 20 but his opening partner Young reached his second consecutive fifty in this WC. The latter got dismissed for 54 while Rachin Ravindra amassed 32. Daryl Mitchell got out early for just one with the Kiwis struggling at 110/4 at one stage.

Phillips and Latham then stitched a solid 144-run partnership for the fifth wicket to bail their side out of the trouble. The former hammered 71 off 80 with the help of four fours and as many maximums, while stand-in captain Latham racked up 68 off 74. Hard-hitter Mark Chapman provided the late flourish as NZ reached a competitive total of 288.

In reply, the Afghans had no answer whatsoever against the quality bowling and fielding of the New Zealanders. Veteran Rahmat Shah top-scored for his side with his knock of 36 while Azmatullah Omarzai mustered 27. The rest of the batting line-up had no clue against the Kiwi bowlers as they surrendered completely. Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson bagged three scalps each as NZ bowled their opposition out cheaply. For his valuable knock under pressure, Phillips claimed the Player of the Match award.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers from Match No. 16 between New Zealand and Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup 2023:

3 – Tom Latham is now jointly at the top with Brendon McCullum for the most 50+ scores (three) by a New Zealand wicketkeeper in World Cups.

102 – Mitchell Santner reached the landmark of 100 wickets in one-day internationals.

144 – Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips registered the second-highest fifth-wicket partnership of 144 for New Zealand in World Cups. Chris Cairns and Roger Twose are on top for sharing a 148-run stand against Australia in 1999.

149 – The Kiwis recorded their second-biggest win in terms of runs (149) in World Cups. They defeated East Africa by a margin of 181 runs in the year 1975.

8.80 – Rahmanullah Gurbaz has scored only 88 runs in his last ten innings at a poor average of 8.80 while chasing in ODIs.

139 – Afghanistan scripted their second-lowest total of 139 in the marquee tournament. They got bowled out for just 125 against South Africa in the 2019 edition.

100 – Phillips reached the milestone of 100 maximums in international cricket.

3 – New Zealand have met Afghanistan three times in the 50-over format and they have won on all three occasions.

149 – The Kiwis also scripted the biggest victory in terms of runs (149) in ODIs in Chennai. Previously, Australia beat West Indies by a margin of 99 runs in 1989.

Check Here: Most Wickets in ODI Cricket World Cup 2023