Kolkata: The record was firmly against New Zealand—never have Afghanistan lost in the previous 26 matches where they have scored 176 or more. On a true Chepauk pitch in hot conditions, 182 looked more than enough to defend for a balanced Afghanistan bowling attack. Till Rashid Khan dropped Tim Seifert’s catch off his own bowling in the 12th over, spurring the New Zealand opener to hit 6,6,4 in the next over and essentially seal a five-wicket win.
That Seifert—he top-scored with 65—was dismissed the very next delivery after that three-ball carnage is besides the point. It could have been 108/4 instead of 108/3 after 12 overs with two relatively new batters at the crease. From that point, anything would have been possible. But the script didn’t go that way, Rashid spilling the catch and the Afghanistan bowlers fluffing their lengths let the relieved New Zealand stay on course for victory.
The dropped catch was very unlike Rashid. Having bowled that ball flat and quick, Rashid had plenty of time to compose himself and go for the catch after Seifert, after backing away, hit it straight back to him. The ball popped out of his grasp on first attempt, and Rashid turned around and went for it, only to drop it again before a third half chance too was grassed.
Rashid wasn’t bowling too well, but that missed chance was just the slice of luck Seifert needed to turn on the heat after setting up the chase with a 74-run third-wicket stand with Glenn Phillips. “We thought pace was going to be easier than spin,” Seifert said later. “And then we just adapted throughout the innings. And then I thought sometimes the spin actually came a little bit easier than the seam. So, it went my way, it’s all about the momentum and who you’re going to target throughout the innings.”
Rashid copped some blows to end with an economy of nine per over, having started with a 14-run over. But it was looking like a different game when Mujeeb Ur Rahman dismissed Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra off consecutive balls in the second over. Phillips not only denied him a hat-trick but also counterattacked Afghanistan with a 25-ball 42.
It could always be argued that Afghanistan probably should have attacked more at the start but Lockie Ferguson struck twice in his first over to restrict them to just 44/2 after the Powerplay. That brought Gulbadin Naib (63 off 35 balls) and Sediquallah Atal together, helping Afghanistan reach 123/2 in the 15th over. Afghanistan still added 59 runs in the last 33 balls after Atal was dismissed, but that wasn’t enough to hold back New Zealand.
