World Cup 2019: Most Runs, Most Wickets (Updated) after PAK Vs AFG and AUS Vs NZ matches
June 29 witnessed a great day of 2019 Cricket World Cup action as a thriller between Afghanistan and Pakistan was followed by another good match as Australia rallied back from a difficult position to eventually post a big win against New Zealand.
Pakistan Vs Afghanistan
In the first match, Afghanistan batted first and posted a competitive 228-7 on the board. Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan and Najibullah Zadran all came up with handy knocks but none of the three managed to convert their starts into at least a half-century.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi was the star with a ball as he took a 4-wicket haul to restrict Afghanistan.
Chasing 229 to win, Pakistan got off to a very bad start as they lost Fakhar Zaman off just the second delivery of the inning. Later on, the partnership between Imam Ul Haq and Babar Azam led a recovery for Pakistan.
However, Pakistan kept on losing wickets at regular wickets after Imam's dismissal as Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman came up with brilliant spells. Just when Afghanistan looked like they were ahead in the match, some poor bowling changes, umpiring and fielding meant that the No. 10 ranked side lost the grip on the match.
This was capitalised superbly by Imad Wasim and Wahab Riaz as they won the game for their side from a point when Pakistan needed 46 runs off 30 balls. It was Gulbadin Naib's decision to bring himself on in the 46th over which turned the match on its head as he conceded 18 runs. Eventually, Imad Wasim sealed the match in the final over to close a tense game for Pakistan.
Australia Vs New Zealand
The second match of the day finished with a big loss for New Zealand as they succumbed by a margin of 86 runs against Australia.
Batting first, Australia lost wickets at regular intervals and saw themselves in a precarious position of 92/5. This is when Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey came together and put on a 107-run stand. However, New Zealand fought back yet again and restricted Australia to a total of 243, with Trent Boult's hat-trick shining through.
In their chase, New Zealand went nowhere as they got off to a bad start once again. Henry Nicholls, who replaced Colin Munro, fell early after scoring just 8 runs. As usual, the team's two best players, Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor tried to fight back but the challenge proved to be too difficult against an in-form Australian team. Eventually, New Zealand were bowled out for a paltry 157 as Mitchell Starc bagged a terrific 5-wicket haul.
World Cup Most Runs
Babar Azam moved into the Top 10 of the 'Most Runs' list with a well-made 45 off 51 deliveries. Pakistan's No. 3, Azam has looked in solid touch through quite a few matches in this World Cup.
From the second game of the day, Usman Khawaja entered the Top 10 with his solid 129-ball 88. Further New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson also extended his run tally with a 40-run knock but remained in fourth place.
World Cup Most Wickets
The 'Most Wickets' list saw a lot of movement considering that some of the top bowlers of the tournament were featuring in this match. Mitchell Starc extented his grasp on the top positions with a five-wicket haul, a 5/26 that gave Australia a handsome win in the end.
From the New Zealand bowling attack, Lockie Ferguson solidified his position at the 2nd spot with his two wickets while Trent Boult entered the Top 10 with his four-wicket haul to jump to fifth place.
Also see – India vs England head to head stats
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on World cup points table, news, live scores, World Cup schedule, most runs, most wickets and fantasy tips.