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Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan pulled off a sensational victory in the ongoing ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 as they defeated New Zealand by a huge margin of 84 runs on Friday night at the Providence Stadium, Guyana. With this win, Afghanistan registered their first-ever victory against New Zealand in T20I history leading fans and experts to flood social media with appreciation for the Afghan Atalans.
New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson's decision to bowl first against Afghanistan backfired as the Kiwis faced a crushing loss to Rashid Khan-led Afghanistan. Afghanistan opener and wicketkeeper Rahmanullah Gurbaz smashed 80 runs off 56 balls with 5 sixes and fours each and combined for a 103-run opening stand with Ibrahim Zadran (44 off 41).
Chasing a 160-run target, Kiwi batters couldn't spend much time on the pitch as Fazalhaq Farooqi and Rashid Khan picked up 4 wickets each while Mohammad Nabi took two wickets to bowl out New Zealand on 75 runs in 15.2 overs.
Former cricketers including Wasim Jaffer and Subramaniam Badrinath lauded Afghanistan's performance while commentator Harsha Bhogle and Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi also reflected on the win.
Veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi wrote, "Historic moment for Afghanistan! Beating New Zealand in T20Is for the first time and that too with a commanding margin. Kudos to the team members and congrats to all the compatriots & cricket fans!"
While many experts and former cricketers claimed Afghanistan beating New Zealand was an upset in the World Cup, fans appreciated the Afghanistan cricket team and disagreed with the upset claims. Check viral reactions:
