T20 World Cup: New Zealand limit Afghanistan to 182 for six despite Naib’s fifty

CHENNAI: Seasoned Gulbadin Naib made a free-flowing fifty but Afghanistan settled for slightly below-par 182 for six against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup Group D match here on Sunday.

Choosing to bat first, the Afghans found the going anything but smooth against a disciplined set of Kiwis bowlers.

Naib (63, 35 balls) and Sediqullah Atal (29, 24b) added 79 runs off 51 balls for the third wicket but the general sense was that of labour on a pitch that had a hint of slowness.The last five overs produced further 52 runs, but ideally the Afghans would have wanted a few more on the board.

Opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27, 22b) looked in fine fettle, and even played a couple of typical scoops, but a slower delivery from pacer Lockie Ferguson disturbed his furniture in the sixth over.In the same over, Ferguson, who used leg-cutters to good effect in this innings, jettisoned opener Ibrahim Zadran as Afghanistan found it tough to get off the blocks.

Naib, who brought up his fifty in 29 balls, played a forceful innings, tonking pacer Jacob Duffy for two sixes and a four as Afghanistan seemed to have found some move-on in the middle overs.

Atal played a good supporting role, but could not force the pace on his own and his stay was curtailed by Duffy. But his dismissal came as a blessing in disguise as Naib and Darwish Rasooli (20, 13b) added 33 in 17 balls as Afghanistan crossed the 150-run mark.