ICC World Cup, NZ vs AFG: Will Young, Tom Latham, Glenn Phillips steer New Zealand to 288/6 against Afghanistan

NEW DELHI: New Zealand showed resilience after a brief mid-innings slump to post a commendable score of 288 for six against Afghanistan in a World Cup group league match on Wednesday.


Batsmen Will Young (54), Tom Latham (68), and Glenn Phillips (71) played crucial roles, each scoring half-centuries, ensuring a competitive total on a challenging track.

The partnership between Phillips and Latham, which yielded 144 runs for the fifth wicket, emerged as a potential game-changer.

Despite losing opener Devon Conway early, the pair of Young and Rachin Ravindra (32) steadied the ship with a convincing 79-run stand for the second wicket.

Although a chance to stump Ravindra was missed, New Zealand faced a temporary collapse, losing Young and Daryl Mitchell (1) in quick succession in the 22nd over.



Young, who had earlier reached his seventh ODI half-century, was notably dropped early in his innings.

However, the Kiwis bounced back as skipper Latham and Phillips forged another crucial partnership.

Both Latham and Phillips reached their respective 23rd and third ODI half-centuries, setting the tone for the innings. The scoring rate increased in the later overs, and although the partnership was broken by pacer Naveen-ul-Haq in the 48th over, Mark Chapman's late blitz (25 not out) propelled New Zealand past the 275-run mark.

Afghanistan's bowlers, particularly Azmatullah Omarzai and Naveen-ul-Haq, claimed two wickets each, while Rashid Khan delivered an economical spell.

Despite their bowling efforts, Afghanistan was hindered by three dropped catches, making the task more challenging, especially for Rashid, who missed a couple of opportunities.