Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan's bowling spell deflated New Zealand's run-chase in the T20 World Cup on Saturday, when his four-wicket spell brought about a double record in the Group C match at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.
After pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi's three-wicket opening burst rocked the Kiwis right at the start of their innings, Rashid's leg-spin ended whatever life was left in New Zealand's run-chase, culminating in an embarrasing 84-run defeat.
T20 WORLD CUP: Schedule | Points TablePut in to bat by NZ captain Kane Williamson, Afghanistan scored 159 for 6, thanks to 'Player of the Match' Rahmanullah Gurbaz' 80 off 56 balls and his 103-run opening stand with Ibrahim Zadran (44 of 41).
Defending that total, both Farooqi and Rashid registered identical figures of 4/17, but for Rashid it was a record -- the best ever by a captain in T20 World Cup history.
Before Saturday, the record was in the name of former New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori, who took 4/20 against India during the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in South Africa.
Top three bowling spells by a captain in T20 World Cup4/17 - Rashid Khan vs New Zealand, 2024
4/20 - Daniel Vettori vs India, 2007
4/20 - Zeeshan Maqsood vs Papua New Guinea, 2021
The win is also Afghanistan's first ever against New Zealand in T20Is. They had lost all four of their previous matches against the BlackCaps in T20I history.
With two wins in two matches, Afghanistan are now on top of Group C. They had defeated Uganda by 125 runs in their opening game.