Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored a magnificent 80 as as Afghanistan stunned New Zealand by 84 runs at Providence Stadium in Guyana on Saturday.
After being asked to bat first, openers Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran got Afghanistan off to a superb start. The duo added 103 runs for the opening stand before the latter was dismissed by Matt Henry for 44.
Henry claimed his second wicket by claiming by dismissing Azmatullah Omarzai for a 13 ball- 22. Afghanistan lost their way in the middle stages, but Gurbaz fine knock of 80 helped their side reach 159/6 in their 20 overs.
In response, Fazalhaq Farooqi pegged New Zealand back with wickets of Finn Allen (0) and Devon Conway (8) with the score on 18. Star spinner Rashid Khan (4/17) then ran through Black Caps middle and lower order, as they were bundled out for 75 in 15.2 overs, giving Afghanistan an 84 run win.
Afghanistan 159 for 6 (Gurbaz 80, Ibrahim 44, Boult 2-22, Henry 2-37) beat New Zealand 75 (Phillips 18, Rashid 4 for 17, Farooqi 4 for 17) by 84 runs