[Watch] Rahmanullah Gurbaz cleaned up by Trent Boult’s yorker soon after Rashid Khan sacrifices his wicket in NZ vs AFG T20 World Cup 2024 match
Rahmanullah Gurbaz played brilliantly for Afghanistan but failed to stay till the end against New Zealand in the 2024 T20 World Cup match in Guyana on Saturday (June 8). The right-hander was cleaned up by an excellent delivery from Trent Boult after Rashid Khan sacrificed his wicket at the non-striker’s end to begin the last over.
Gurbaz top-scored with 80 runs off 56 balls in an innings laced with five sixes and as many boundaries. He also shared a 103-run partnership with Ibrahim Zadran for the opening wicket.
Boult began the over with a superb yorker outside off. Afghanistan captain Rashid failed to play his shot as it beat him through to the wicketkeeper. Gurbaz was up and running and reached the striker’s end before Rashid could react. Devon Conway threw the ball back to Boult who ran out Rashid. The latter looked disappointed as he walked back to the pavilion.
The left-arm pacer then nailed the perfect yorker to dismiss Gurbaz off the next delivery. The two players showed mutual respect to each other after the fall of the wicket. The last over resulted in three wickets, yielding just three runs.
Watch the clip below:
“It is not an easy surface” – Rahmanullah Gurbaz backs Afghanistan to beat New Zealand at T20 World Cup 2024
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has backed Afghanistan to deliver against New Zealand following his exploits with the bat in the 2024 T20 World Cup match. He said in the mid-match show that the wicket is a challenging one for the batters.
“I think it is a good total. I am happy with the total. It wasn’t easy at the start, especially against the spinners. Now we have to field well. Our plan was to play well against Santner. It is not an easy surface. Our bowling side is good and we are happy with the total," Gurbaz said.
Afghanistan posted 159/6 in their allotted 20 overs. Apart from Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran scored 44 off 41 deliveries with the help of two sixes and three boundaries. Azmatullah Omarzai also chipped in with 22 off 13 before they suffered a middle-order collapse.
Follow the NZ vs AFG T20 World Cup live score and updates here.