The Under-19 World Cup 2024 has been quite an exciting event for the lovers of cricket as young talents compete from across the world. This is a cricketing showpiece that returns with focus on up-and-coming talent and will produce very keen contests and future cricketing talents. The match of New Zealand Under-19s against Afghanistan Under-19s was played on January 23, 2024, at Buffalo Park located in East London.
New Zealand National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard: Match Summary
- Date: January 23, 2024
- Venue: Buffalo Park, East London.
- Teams: Afghanistan Under-19s match against New Zealand Under-19s
- Result: Under-19s v New Zealand – New Zealand Under-19s won by 1 wicket (with 130 balls remaining)
The match was a close one and New Zealand was able to clinch the match by a wicket margin after securing a target of a comparatively small score set by Afghanistan. This close finish also gave further meaning to the flowing Under-19 World Cup, thus providing further proof of how much the tournament is a nail-biting one.
Scorecard and Key Performances
Afghanistan Under-19s Innings: First up, Afghanistan failed to prosper against NZ bowling which was really quite tight. The team were dismissed for 91 runs in 21 overs only. 3 overs.
Here’s a look at their batting performance:
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Hassan Eisakhil | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 100.00 |
| Jamshid Zadran | 22 | 32 | 4 | 0 | 68.75 |
| Khalid Taniwal | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Sohail Khan Zurmati | 8 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 57.14 |
| Numan Shah † | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Rahimullah Zurmati | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Naseer Khan Maroofkhil (c) | 1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 7.69 |
| Arab Gul | 10 | 20 | 2 | 0 | 50.00 |
| AM Ghazanfar | 9 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 69.23 |
| Khalil Ahmed | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 37.50 |
| Bashir Ahmad | 6 | 13 | 1 | 0 | 46.15 |
| Extras | 25 | ||||
| Total | 91 |
Top Performers with the Ball
New Zealand’s bowlers were instrumental in dismissing Afghanistan for a low total:
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| Matt Rowe | 8 | 21 | 5 | 2.62 |
| Ryan Tsourgas | 5 | 33 | 2 | 6.60 |
| Ewald Schreuder | 4.3 | 15 | 2 | 3.33 |
| Oscar Jackson | 3 | 13 | 1 | 4.33 |
New Zealand Under-19s Innings
Chasing a modest target of 92 runs, New Zealand managed to reach 92/9 in 28.2 overs. Their innings was marked by a strong lower-order performance that ensured victory.
| Batter | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
| Robbie Foulkes | 8 | 24 | 1 | 0 | 33.33 |
| Luke Watson | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Tom Jones | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Oliver Tewatiya | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Oscar Jackson (c) | 26 | 45 | 3 | 0 | 57.77 |
| Lachlan Stackpole | 12 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 109.09 |
| Zac Cumming | 5 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 25.00 |
| Sam Clode † | 7 | 33 | 1 | 0 | 21.21 |
| Matt Rowe | 5 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 38.46 |
| Ewald Schreuder | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 45.45 |
| Ryan Tsourgas | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Extras | 24 | ||||
| Total | 92/9 |
Top Performers with the Ball
Afghanistan’s bowlers delivered a commendable performance but fell short in the end:
| Bowler | Overs | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
| AM Ghazanfar | 10 | 29 | 3 | 2.90 |
| Arab Gul | 8 | 12 | 2 | 1.50 |
| Khalil Ahmed | 4 | 16 | 2 | 4.00 |
| Naseer Khan Maroofkhil | 4.2 | 17 | 1 | 3.92 |
| Bashir Ahmad | 2 | 6 | 0 | 3.00 |
New Zealand National Cricket Team Vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard :Match Flow and Key Moments
The match proved to be a difficult one for Afghanistan to bat, they were unable to establish any proper partnerships. They lost wickets at regular intervals and for New Zealand Matt Rowe proved to be their most effective bowler and took five wickets.
During the chase New Zealand lost wickets at regular intervals and was under pressure. Nonetheless, what with their lower order contribution and a composed innings by Oscar Jackson eased them to the target base under pressure.
Conclusion
New Zealand Under-19s won this game by just 1 wicket which shows the volatility that Cricket is. The victory was built through a strong bowling display and solidly sealed through a grand chase, which was instrumental in the team. This match is one of the hottest and shows the definite competitive spirit and the passion that is always present in the ICC Under-19 World Cup.
FAQs
Ans: New Zealand Under-19s won by 1 wicket with 130 balls remaining.
Ans: Matt Rowe from New Zealand was named Player of the Match for his five-wicket haul.
Ans: Afghanistan Under-19s scored 91 runs in 21.3 overs.
Ans: New Zealand needed 92 runs to win.
Ans: Matt Rowe had the best bowling figures for New Zealand, taking 5 wickets for 21 runs.
