When Phillips and Latham joined the crease, New Zealand was struggling. They were 110/4 at one stage when Rashid and Azmatullah were bowling. No one could think that New Zealand would finish 288/6 after 50 overs. But thanks to Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips for their non-stop show till the end. Glenn Phillips made 71 runs off 80 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes. The captain also played a great knock of 68 facing 74 balls with the help of 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Phillips and Latham added 144 runs. It was a crucial partnership because New Zealand could easily sum up around 200 plus. But both these players made sure to reach the average score on this pitch which is about 230+.
They went with the same approach till the 40th over and then started expressing themselves. New Zealand got a defendable total of 288 runs in their allotted 50 overs. Chapman and Santner added some valuable runs at the end.
Afghan fielders grossed too many catches that could easily be grabbed by any standard. If a fielding side dropped more than 5 easy catches of main players then how is it possible that they will make a comeback in the match? Do you think that Afghanistan has the firepower to chase down this target?
