Afghanistan led by Rashid Khan beat New Zealand by 84 runs at the Providence Stadium, Guyana, on Saturday, June 8, in a major upset at the T20 World Cup 2024.
After beating Uganda in their opening match, the Asian team has put out another dominating performance against one of the tournamnet favourites, New Zealand. This victory will boost their chances for qualification from the group, for the Super Eights stage.
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Afghan openers, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (80 off 56 balls) and Ibrahim Zadran (44 off 41 balls) recorded another century partnership (103 runs) at the top of the order. This makes it back-to-back century stands in the World Cup for the opening pair, after they put up 154 runs for the first wicket against Uganda in the last match.
After setting up a target of 160 runs to chase, the Afghan bowlers led by Fazalhaq Farooqi (4/17) and skipper Rashid Khan (4/17), routed the entire New Zealand batting, as they collapsed with just 75 runs on board, setting up another memorable victory at the world stage.
In this article, we look at some of the bigger teams that Afghanistan have beaten in Cricket World Cups, breaking records, creating history and becoming the giant-slayers in the process.
Which big teams have Afghanistan beaten at cricket World Cups?
Afghanistan, who made their World Cup debut in the year 2010, have since then risen in ranks, proving their merit against the elite teams and found admiration from cricket fans across the globe.
Here is a list of some of the bigger teams that Afghanistan have been in Cricket World Cups:
| vs Opposition | Tournament & Year | Venue | Win Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | T20 World Cup 2024 | Guyana | by 84 runs |
| Pakistan | ODI World Cup 2023 | Chennai | by 8 wickets |
| West Indies | T20 World Cup 2016 | Nagpur | by 6 runs |
| England | ODI World Cup 2023 | Delhi | by 69 runs |
| Sri Lanka | ODI World Cup 2023 | Pune | by 7 wickets |
It all started when they beat table-toppers West Indies in the final group stage match of the 2016 T20 World Cup, a tournament in which the team from the Caribbean ended up as the champions. This gave them their first taste of slaying giants at the world stage.
Their best performance came in a tournament seven years later, at the ODI World Cup 2023 in India, when they beat three big teams in Pakistan, England, and Sri Lanka, convincingly and by fairly good margin.
The victory by 8 wickets against Pakistan chasing 283, became one for the history books as it was the highest successful chase in ODI cricket, which also saw them record their first ever win against their neighbors in the 50-over format.
Furthermore, their most famous win came against England, who were then the defending champions of both the T20 and ODI World Cup. It was hailed as a “seam and spin” bowling masterclass as they successfully defended a score of 284, bowling the opposition out for just 215 runs.
Afghanistan are currently toppers of Group C, following their back-to-back wins in the T20 World Cup against Uganda and New Zealand. They will take on PNG in their next match on Friday, June 14, at the Brian Lara Stadium, Tarouba.