Afghanistan opt to bat against NZ 
Cricket

New Zealand beat Afghanistan by five wickets in T20 World Cup

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup opener here on Sunday.

Chennai | Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan won the toss and opted to bat against New Zealand in their T20 World Cup opener here on Sunday.

Afghanistan had defeated New Zealand during their last meeting in a World Cup game two years ago.

Teams:

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (w), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (w), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi.

Tim Seifert blasted a 42-ball 65 as New Zealand opened their T20 World Cup campaign with a five-wicket win over Afghanistan here on Sunday.

Opting to bat, Gulbadin Naib (63) smashed a fine fifty as Afghanistan posted a 182 for six. Sediqullah Atal (29) and Rahmanullah Gurbaz (27) also chipped in with useful contributions.

In reply, NZ romped home in 17.5 overs with Seifert (65) and Glenn Phillips (42) doing bulk of the runs.

Brief Score:

Afghanistan: 182 for six in 20 overs (Gulbadin Naib 63; Lockie Fergusen 2/32).

New Zealand: 183 for 5 in 17.5 overs (Tim Seifert 65; Mujeeb Ur Rahman 2/31).

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