T20 World Cup 2021: Match 40, New Zealand vs Afghanistan – 10 best memes of the match

Najibullah Zadran's valiant half-century for Afghanistan went in vain.

By Sabyasachi Chowdhury

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Kane Williamson
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Kane Williamson. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)

New Zealand, on Sunday, November 7, defeated Afghanistan by eight wickets in their Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi. With the win, they also became the second team from Group 2 after Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final of the mega event. In the meantime, the Afghans and Virat Kohli’s India have been knocked out of the tournament.

Najibullah Zadran makes hay

The Afghans found themselves in all sorts of trouble after electing to bat first. They scored only 23 runs and lost three wickets of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Shahzad and Hazratullah Zazai in the first six overs. At the end of 10 overs, the Afghans were placed at 56 for four. But from there on, skipper Mohammad Nabi and the left-handed Najibullah Zadran pulled their team out of jail.

The duo put on 59 runs for the fifth wicket and steadied the ship for the Afghans. Najibullah looked at his very best and he got to his half-century off 33 balls. The southpaw went on to score 73 runs off 48 balls with the help of six fours and three sixes. He got out to Trent Boult in the penultimate over of the innings. In the end, the Afghans went on to score 124 for the loss of eight wickets in 20 overs.

Williamson shows his class for New Zealand

The Kiwis got off to a decent start as they scored 45 runs in the powerplay. Daryl Mitchell smashed a 12-ball 17 before Mujeeb Ur Rahman accounted for his wicket. Martin Guptill looked good for his 23-ball 28 after which Rashid Khan rattled his woodwork. From there on, skipper Kane Williamson and Devon Conway took charge and steadied the ship for the Kiwis in the tricky run-chase.

Williamson showed why he’s regarded as one of the most matured batters doing the rounds. The right-hander stayed not out on 40 runs off 42 balls with three fours. Devon Conway has strained to score runs in the tournament, but even he seemed to have found his rhythm. The left-hander scored an unbeaten 32-ball 36 as the Black Caps chased a target of 125 with as many as 11 balls left.

Here are the best memes of the match

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