Afghanistan, who had just defeated the reigning World Champions England, were brought back down by a ruthless New Zealand side, who thrashed them by 149 runs in a one-sided World Cup match in Chennai on Wednesday.
The Black Caps maintained their unbeaten record in the event, reclaiming the top spot with their fourth consecutive victory. Afghanistan, who were chasing a difficult 289 on a spin-friendly pitch, were restricted to 139 in 34 overs, largely due to the hot pace of Lockie Ferguson, who took 3/19 from 7 overs, and Mitchell Santner, who had 3/39 from 7 overs. Now New Zealand have won all four of their matches to sit atop the standings.
After winning the toss and opting to bowl first, Afghanistan received a promising start thanks to Mujeeb Ur Rahman. He dismissed Devon Conway, trapping him LBW after he had scored 20 runs off 18 balls. Nevertheless, Afghanistan's fielding had some lapses as they dropped catches early in the innings, giving chances to Will Young and Rachin Ravindra. Azmatullah Omarzai then stepped up by taking two wickets in his very first over, initiating a mini-collapse for the opposition. Afghanistan maintained an unchanged playing XI, while New Zealand made a change, replacing Kane Williamson, who was ruled out due to a left thumb fracture, with Will Young.
Afghanistan, after a remarkable 69-run victory over defending champions England, was aiming to secure back-to-back wins in the spin-friendly Chepauk. In contrast, New Zealand came into the match following a convincing win against Bangladesh. The Kiwis continued their flawless run, securing a victory against Afghanistan. This win also propelled New Zealand to the top of the World Cup standings.
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