In a thrilling 16th match of the ODI World Cup 2023, held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk, Chennai the New Zealand's 31-year-old right-arm pacer Matt Henry, delivered a crucial blow by dismissing the Afghanistan's explosive batter Rahmanullah Gurbaz on October 18.
Facing a challenging target of 289 runs set by the BlackCaps, Afghanistan opening pair of Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran failed to give their team a strong start. Both the openers were sent packing to leave New Zealand reeling at 27/2.
Kicking off the chase, Rahmanullah Gurbaz cleared his intention by cracking a massive 85-meter six off Matt Henry during the sixth over of the Afghanistan's innings. However, Henry wasted no time in exacting his revenge as clean bowled Gurbaz in the same over.
The crucial moment came on the fifth ball of the over when Henry bowled a well-directed length delivery just outside the off-stump, inducing movement off the seam. Gurbaz attempted to drive it but managed only a thick inside edge, resulting in the ball crashing into the stumps.
Following Gurbaz's dismissal Henry was seen roaring out loud in a wild celebration.
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Gurbaz contributed with just 11 runs off 21 balls, which included a solitary boundary. His performance in ODIs during run-chases has been less than stellar, as evidenced by his recent record of 88 runs in 200 balls across his last ten innings, with scores of 4, 7, 14, 2, 22, 18, 5, 1, 4, and 11.
Earlier in the match, Afghanistan had won the toss and opted to field first. Despite a shaky start for the Kiwis, Afghanistan made a remarkable comeback, reducing New Zealand from 109/1 to 110/4. However, Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips steadied the ship with an impressive partnership, accumulating 144 runs off 153 balls. Their partnership tilted the game in favor of New Zealand. In the end, Mark Chapman and Mitchell Santner remained unbeaten, guiding the Kiwis to a competitive total of 288/6 after 50 overs.
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