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The 16th match of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup showcased an intense battle between New Zealand and Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Wednesday. In this high-stakes encounter, New Zealand emerged victorious, securing a comfortable 149-run win and maintaining their unbeaten record in the tournament.
Missed opportunities haunt Afghanistan
The encounter was a thrilling one, with Afghanistan showing early promise in their pursuit of New Zealand’s total. However, the margin of victory does not reflect the closely contested moments in the game, and the turning point of the match was undoubtedly Afghanistan’s fielding lapses.
Head Coach Jonathan Trott highlights fielding errors
Head coach Jonathan Trott, in his post-match analysis, identified fielding errors as the primary reason for Afghanistan’s loss. He emphasized that had Afghanistan managed to hold onto crucial catches, the outcome of the match could have been vastly different.
Trott pointed to several key moments in the game where dropped catches proved costly. In the second over, Rahmat Shah‘s missed catch in the slips allowed Will Young a lifeline when the Kiwi batter was yet to score. This lapse proved significant as Young went on to score 54 runs off 64 balls before being dismissed by Azmatullah Omarzai.
Also READ: Twitter reactions – Clinical New Zealand crush Afghanistan to bag 4th consecutive win in World Cup 2023
Similarly, in the ninth over, Afghanistan’s skipper, Hashmatullah Shahidi, put down Rachin Ravindra, who had not yet opened his account. Ravindra capitalized on this opportunity, going on to score 32 runs off 41 deliveries. Later in the innings, Tom Latham benefited from lax fielding when Shahidi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman both missed relatively straightforward chances.
“We dropped a catch in the second over and we dropped a few catches, really. We dropped Ravindra on nought, we dropped Young on nought. So that sort of gives a little bit of momentum to the opposition. I think if we had taken those and with the wicket of Conway, we would have been in a much better position as well,” Trott lamented during the post-match press conference.
Trott continued, “Not only like they were, I think they were about 116 for four at one stage, if I’m not mistaken. So, we would have been in an even better position had we held on to those catches. But it wasn’t to be, and, unfortunately, we have to go home regretting those tonight.”
While Afghanistan displayed flashes of brilliance in the game, the inability to capitalize on key moments proved to be the deciding factor. Despite their best efforts, New Zealand emerged victorious and solidified their position as one of the top contenders in the exciting tournament.
