ANALYSIS: It’s far easier for things to go swimmingly when you’re constantly let off the hook.
New Zealand remained floating calmly at the top of the World Cup standings with what eventually was a comfortable victory over an Afghanistan side fresh off their upset win over defending champions England.
The Black Caps are 4-0 and a semifinal spot already tantalisingly beckons after Glenn Phillips (71) and Tom Latham (68) helped their side through a shaky period before the bowlers assumed control.
With five group games remaining, two wins for New Zealand seem certain of clinching a place in the playoffs, as they have eight points with an excellent Net Run Rate of 1.923 – the best in the tournament ahead of India’s game versus Bangladesh overnight.
New Zealand, runners-up in 2019, qualified for those semifinals with five wins, three losses and a point from a No Result from a rained-out game versus India. That saw them pip Pakistan on Net Run Rate when both sides were level on 11 points in fourth place.
As expected, the Black Caps – even without captain Kane Williamson for three of their four victories – have taken care of lesser lights the Netherlands, Bangladesh and now Afghanistan – after stunning defending champs England in the tournament-opener.
However, they meet the hosts next in Dharamsala starting on Sunday night (NZ time) and still have Australia, South Africa and Pakistan to follow, before ending group play against currently win-less Sri Lanka.
What’s aiding NZ at present is that expected semifinalists England and Australia have both been beaten twice already.
Their opponents in Chennai will be ruing a missed opportunity to land another big fish, after a string of dropped catches and a missed stumping let the Black Caps recover from a perilous 110-4 in the 22nd over batting first.
Will Young (54 from 64 balls) and Rachin Ravindra (32 from 41) put on 79 for the second wicket after being dropped on 1 and 0 respectively.
They both perished in the same over, when it seemed they regarded Azmatullah Omarzai as ‘the sixth bowler who needs to be collared quickly’. When Daryl Mitchell became the third wicket to tumble in the space of one run and eight balls, NZ’s unbeaten record was under severe threat.
But Afghanistan again offered ample avenues of escape for the 2019 runners-up. Their best bowler, legspinner Rashid Khan, was taken off when New Zealand were under the most pressure they’d experienced since landing in India. He’d bowled six overs, taken 1-20 and from the last ball of his spell, Latham had inside-edged it narrowly past his stumps as the Black Caps flailed at 122-4 after 26 overs.
Mark Chapman was due to be the next man in, and he’d had just one innings of 13 deliveries, but Afghanistan were incapable of getting him to the wicket any earlier than with 17 balls remaining in the innings.
Rashid was centimetres from trapping Phillips lbw in his first over on return with NZ 166-4 in the 37th over, and simple catches continued to be spilt.
When Latham was dropped in consecutive Rashid overs, it felt possible we were about to witness the first murder of the World Cup, given the bowler’s hostile glare – and it would have been a heartless jury that would have convicted the legspinner, given the provocation.
Even a shakier than expected New Zealand were too competent not to take advantage, as they hammered 103 runs off the last 10 overs.
Afghanistan had lost their lines and sinkers, the seagulls had stolen their bait, and by the end of the day in Chennai, the boat was conspicuously leaking too.
Phillips, always a man in a hurry, and the more imperturbable Latham showed admirable patience during a spell of 64 balls without a boundary to right the ship.
It’s partly the reason why NZ are unbeaten and top of the standings, while Australia, England and South Africa have all produced calamitous capitulations.
But Afghanistan had this game in their hands, only to let it slip away – make no bones about it, .
At MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai: New Zealand 288-6 in 50 overs (Glenn Phillips 71 off 80, Tom Latham 68 off 74, Will Young 54 off 64; Naveen-ul-Haq 2-48 off 8, Azmatullah Omarzai 2-56 off 7) beat Afghanistan 139 all out in 34.4 overs (Rahmat Shah 36 off 62; Lockie Ferguson 3-19 off 7, Mitchell Santner 3-39 off 7.4, Trent Boult 2-18 off 7) by 149 runs.
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