At the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan defeated New Zealand by 84 runs in Guyana, making it two victories out of two.
Afghanistan reached 159-6 thanks to a brilliant 80 from 56 deliveries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who also added 44 from 41 deliveries as an opener.
In response, New Zealand, runners-up in 2021, suffered their first T20 international loss against Afghanistan after being dismissed for only 75 runs in 15.2 overs.
“We put on one of our best T20 performances ever against a formidable team like New Zealand,” Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan said. “It’s a great feeling to be leading this side.”
In only 3.2 overs, left-arm seamer Fazalhaq Farooqi—who took five wickets against Uganda on Monday—took 4-17, while captain Rashid also got 4-17.
Only two players from New Zealand scored in double digits, with Glenn Phillips leading the way with 18.
Afghanistan now leads Group C after the victory, with New Zealand behind Papua New Guinea in terms of net run-rate.
In other news, Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka by two wickets in their tournament opener, sending them to the bottom of Group D after two straight losses.
In only 20 overs, Sri Lanka scored 124-9 thanks to a maximum score of 47 from just 48 balls from Pathum Nissanka in Dallas.
Bangladesh trailed 28-3 in response, but the Tigers prevailed with to hits of 40 from only 20 deliveries by Towhid Hridoy and 36 from 38 deliveries by Litton Das.
Read More: New Zealand collapse as Afghanistan spring latest T20 World Cup upset
