In a thrilling cricket match in Chennai on Wednesday, New Zealand found themselves in a tight spot against Afghanistan, but a remarkable 144-run partnership for the fifth wicket between Glenn Phillips, who scored 71, and Tom Latham, who contributed 68, helped the Black Caps post a challenging total of 288 runs.
New Zealand’s innings had an uncertain start as they lost their dependable batsman, Devon Conway, during the initial Powerplay to the spin wizard Mujeeb-ur-Rahman. However, Will Young and Rachin Ravindra put up a solid show with their strokeful fifties. The pitch, which had been used previously in a game between New Zealand and Bangladesh, favored aggressive batting, especially with a shorter boundary at one end. But as the match progressed, it became increasingly challenging due to the dry conditions.
New Zealand faced a major setback when Azmatullah Omarzai was introduced into the attack and quickly dismantled the partnership of Young and Ravindra. This double blow left New Zealand at 110/4, with more than half of their overs still to be played. It was at this crucial juncture that stand-in captain Tom Latham joined forces with Glenn Phillips to rebuild the innings.
The duo had their fair share of challenges, struggling against the slower bowlers and variations in pace. Their efforts were further aided by Afghanistan’s fielding woes, as catches were put down in the field. Despite these difficulties, both Latham and Phillips stayed resilient. As the innings approached its conclusion, they shifted gears, capitalizing on Afghanistan’s lapses. Glenn Phillips, in particular, displayed fluent strokeplay, while Tom Latham came into his own during the latter part of the innings with his signature ramps and lofted shots.
Afghanistan’s missed opportunities in the field and wayward bowling in the death overs proved costly. New Zealand finished with 288/6 in their 50 overs, a total that was around 30-40 runs more than what seemed feasible earlier in the innings.
As the stage is set for Afghanistan’s innings, a dew factor may come into play later, making the chase a bit more challenging. Nevertheless, it promises to be an exciting contest, with the wily New Zealand attack looking to defend their total. The match is finely poised for a gripping conclusion.
Brief Scores: New Zealand 288/6 in 50 overs (Glenn Phillips 71, Tom Latham 68; Naveen-ul-Haq 2-48) vs Afghanistan.
