Black Caps thump Afghanistan to remain perfect

By Kris Shannon

The Black Caps keep calling on different contributors and keep recording the same result, remaining perfect and returning to the top of the World Cup standings.

After the top order laid the platform for their opening three victories in India, a rare stumble left Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips to revive the innings overnight, and the pair proceeded to bat Afghanistan out of the match.

Latham (68) and Phillips (71) put on 144 runs from 153 balls for the fifth wicket, first recovering and then thriving after their side had lost three batters in the space of nine deliveries.

Early wickets then prevented Afghanistan from mounting a serious challenge in their chase of New Zealand’s 288-6, dismissed for 139 inside 35 overs in Chennai.

The Asian side were coming off a historic upset of England and, after the Netherlands toppled South Africa, the Black Caps would have been wary of avoiding a similar fate.

But this team never fall prey to complacency at world tournaments, making five straight white-ball semifinals by avoiding any shocks. A sixth could well be coming in a few weeks, that fate resting on their next four matches against fellow contenders.

Even with skipper Kane Williamson watching from the sidelines with a broken thumb, New Zealand will take confidence into those crunch clashes. Such a feeling is justified after stringing together a succession of comprehensive victories with contributions from throughout the first-choice XI.

The latest came despite a serious hiccup midway through their turn with the bat, one that saw a promising start unravel — and set the stage for a match-winning stand.

After the Black Caps had been sent in, Will Young’s recall to replace Williamson almost ended prematurely, spilled at slip in a second-over blunder that set an unfortunate tone for an unseemly fielding effort.

Rachin Ravindra was also dropped early, having replaced Devon Conway when the opener was adjudged lbw. The youngster and Young enjoyed a decent partnership against the Netherlands and looked to do likewise while lifting the total to 109-1 after 20 overs.

Young posted his second straight half-century, flourishing when coming down the wicket to play straight against Afghanistan’s dangerous spinners, and an unsurpassable target was in New Zealand’s sights. A few minutes later, the score stood at 110-4 and those plans were in disarray.

Afghanistan’s sixth bowler sparked the slide, Azmatullah Omarzai taking two wickets in an ODI for the first time — and doing so in his first over. The part-timer began by knocking over Ravindra’s middle stump before inducing an edge from Young that Iram Alikhil snagged smartly.

When Daryl Mitchell’s stay ended after seven balls, the Black Caps were for once at this tournament under real pressure, losing a third wicket for just the second time.

Tasked with rebuilding, Latham and Phillips initially battled tight lines from the spin trio as New Zealand were restricted to 29 runs in overs 20-30. With boundaries drying up, the batters ran hard in the Chennai heat to advance the total to 185-4 with 10 overs left, allowing both to cash in.

Latham should have been denied the opportunity, dropped on 35 and 38 by casual catching attempts that belied the stakes and sneaking through to his 23rd ODI half-century. Phillips then posted his third and celebrated by booming back-to-back sixes, with Latham soon repeating that feat.

Both fell in the 47th over but that granted Mark Chapman (25no off 12) his first chance to finish an innings, helping the Black Caps plunder 103 runs from the final 10 overs.

Rocked by that flurry, Afghanistan’s hopes of responding rested on their top three. But after thumping Matt Henry over his head for six, Rahmanullah Gurbaz saw the seamer nip one through his defences.

Trent Boult (2-18) began the next over by getting a leading edge from Ibrahim Zadran before Mitchell Santner epitomised the difference between the sides, removing Hashmatullah Shahidi by plucking a one-handed ripper that had seemed destined to drop beyond reach.

A 50-run stand between Rahmat Shah and Azmatullah provided a glimmer of hope until Boult was reintroduced and immediately struck, allowing Santner (3-39) and Lockie Ferguson (3-19) to tear through the tail.

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission