New Zealand crushed Afghanistan by 149 runs in Match 16 of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on October 18 at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram Stadium.
If you’re here for the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard, you’ve come to the right spot. This was one of those matches that started with genuine promise for Afghanistan — and ended with New Zealand doing what New Zealand do best: win, and win convincingly.
Disclaimer:All match statistics, player data, and records mentioned in this article are based on information sourced from ESPNcricinfo, Outlook India, SportsTak, and The Bridge Chronicle as of December 22, 2025. Statements marked with (Verify: ESPNcricinfo / ICC) represent record claims that readers are encouraged to confirm against official ICC and New Zealand Cricket databases. Minor statistical discrepancies may exist between live-reporting platforms. This article is for informational purposes only.
Match Snapshot Table
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Match | 16th Match (D/N) – ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 |
| Date | October 18, 2023 (Wednesday) |
| Venue | MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chepauk, Chennai |
| Toss | Afghanistan won – elected to field first |
| Result | New Zealand won by 149 runs |
| New Zealand Score | 288/6 in 50 overs |
| Afghanistan Score | 139 all out in 34.4 overs |
| Player of the Match | Glenn Phillips (NZ) – 71 off 80 balls |
| Cricinfo MVP | Glenn Phillips – 86.81 pts |
| NZ World Cup Record | Won 4 out of 4 matches |
How It All Started: Afghanistan’s Decision to Field First
Afghanistan won the toss and chose to field. On paper, not a bad call — Chennai’s Chepauk surface had been helping bowlers, and Afghanistan had a genuinely dangerous attack headlined by Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, and the fiery Naveen-ul-Haq. The plan? Contain New Zealand early, take wickets in clusters, and chase down whatever total came their way.
The New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from the first half of the New Zealand innings actually shows that Afghanistan’s plan was working — for a while.
Devon Conway fell early for 20, caught lbw off Mujeeb-ur-Rahman in over six. New Zealand were 30/1. Afghanistan’s bowlers were disciplined, the fielders were sharp, and it looked like this could be a tight contest.
Then Will Young and Rachin Ravindra started building partnerships. Young was particularly impressive, smashing 54 off 64 balls including 4 fours and 3 sixes. New Zealand cruised to 109/1 — looking comfortable.
Then Afghanistan struck back.
Omarzai removed both Ravindra (32) and Young in the space of four deliveries — one of the most dramatic sequences in the whole New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard narrative. In just two overs, New Zealand went from 109/1 to 110/4. Daryl Mitchell fell for just 1 to Rashid Khan in the very next over. Suddenly it was 110 for 4 and Afghanistan had the scent of blood.
🏏 New Zealand Batting Scorecard – 1st Innings (288/6)
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Devon Conway | lbw b Mujeeb-ur-Rahman | 20 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 111.11 |
| Will Young | c Alikhil b Omarzai | 54 | 64 | 4 | 3 | 84.38 |
| Rachin Ravindra | b Omarzai | 32 | 41 | 2 | 1 | 78.05 |
| Daryl Mitchell | c Zadran b Rashid Khan | 1 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 14.29 |
| Tom Latham | b Naveen-ul-Haq | 68 | 74 | 3 | 2 | 91.89 |
| Glenn Phillips | c Rashid Khan b Naveen-ul-Haq | 71 | 80 | 4 | 4 | 88.75 |
| Mark Chapman | Not out | 25 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 208.33 |
| Mitchell Santner | Not out | 7 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 140.00 |
| Extras | (LB 4, NB 1, W 5) | 10 | — | — | — | — |
| TOTAL | 288/6 | (50 Overs) | RR: 5.76 |
Did Not Bat: Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Fall of Wickets: 1-30 (Conway, 6.3), 2-109 (Ravindra, 20.2), 3-110 (Young, 20.6), 4-110 (Mitchell, 21.4), 5-254 (Phillips, 47.1), 6-255 (Latham, 47.3)
The Phillips-Latham Show: A 144-Run Rescue Act
When New Zealand were 110/4, Afghanistan had every reason to celebrate. Four wickets, including three in rapid succession — this was a serious collapse, and the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard at that point had Rashid Khan’s name written all over it.
But cricket is a funny game. In walked Glenn Phillips at number six. And Tom Latham, already at the crease, dug in.
What followed was one of the most composed, elegant, and brutally effective partnerships of the 2023 World Cup. Phillips and Latham put on 144 runs for the 5th wicket. Not a single Afghanistan bowler could separate them for nearly 26 overs.
Tom Latham played the anchor. He scored 68 off 74 balls — disciplined, smart, exactly the knock his team needed. Glenn Phillips played the aggressor. His 71 off 80 balls included 4 fours and 4 sixes, and he controlled the middle phase with the kind of authority that wins Player of the Match awards.
Then Mark Chapman arrived at number seven and immediately hit 25 off just 12 balls — a brilliant cameo that helped New Zealand cross 280. The final total of 288/6 off 50 overs was well above par on this surface.
Any cricket fan checking the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard for the highlights of this innings will find this partnership as the single most decisive chapter of the entire New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard story.
Afghanistan Bowling Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mujeeb-ur-Rahman | 10 | 0 | 57 | 1 | 5.70 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | 7 | 1 | 39 | 0 | 5.57 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | 8 | 0 | 48 | 2 | 6.00 |
| Mohammad Nabi | 8 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 5.13 |
| Rashid Khan | 10 | 0 | 43 | 1 | 4.30 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | 7 | 0 | 56 | 2 | 8.00 |
Naveen-ul-Haq (2/48) and Omarzai (2/56) were Afghanistan’s most effective bowlers. Rashid Khan went for just 43 in 10 overs — highly economical by World Cup standards — but couldn’t take the wickets his side needed to contain New Zealand’s big guns.
Afghanistan’s Chase: A Struggle From Ball One
Chasing 289 on a Chennai surface that was doing a little bit for everyone was always going to be a tough ask. But Afghanistan had talent — and they had Rashid Khan to bat at 8. Stranger chases have succeeded.
The New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard for Afghanistan’s innings, however, tells a story of a team that never really got going. Let’s break it down ball by ball.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz fell early for 11, bowled by Matt Henry in just the 5th over. Ibrahim Zadran made 14 before edging Trent Boult to Mitchell Santner in the slips. At 28/2, Afghanistan needed a big partnership desperately.
Rahmat Shah tried his best — he was Afghanistan’s top scorer with 36 off 62 balls, a patient, grafting knock — but he couldn’t find a consistent partner at the other end. Hashmatullah Shahidi scratched around for 8 off 29. The run rate kept climbing while Afghanistan kept losing wickets.
Azmatullah Omarzai provided the only real bright spot in Afghanistan’s batting with a counter-attacking 27 off 32 balls. It was feisty, it was fun, but it wasn’t nearly enough.
By the time Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner worked through the tail, Afghanistan were bowled out for 139 in just 34.4 overs — 149 runs short of their target.
🏏 Afghanistan Batting Scorecard – 2nd Innings (139 All Out)
| Batter | Dismissal | Runs | Balls | 4s | 6s | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | b Henry | 11 | 21 | 0 | 1 | 52.38 |
| Ibrahim Zadran | c Santner b Boult | 14 | 15 | 2 | 0 | 93.33 |
| Rahmat Shah | c & b Ravindra | 36 | 62 | 1 | 0 | 58.06 |
| Hashmatullah Shahidi (C) | c Santner b Ferguson | 8 | 29 | 1 | 0 | 27.59 |
| Azmatullah Omarzai | c Latham b Boult | 27 | 32 | 2 | 0 | 84.38 |
| Ikram Alikhil | Not out | 19 | 21 | 3 | 0 | 90.48 |
| Mohammad Nabi | b Santner | 7 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 77.78 |
| Rashid Khan | c Mitchell b Ferguson | 8 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 61.54 |
| Mujeeb-ur-Rahman | c Young b Ferguson | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 133.33 |
| Naveen-ul-Haq | c Chapman b Santner | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Fazalhaq Farooqi | c Mitchell b Santner | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
| Extras | (W 5) | 5 | — | — | — | — |
| TOTAL | 139/10 | (34.4 Overs) | RR: 4.01 |
New Zealand Bowling Figures
| Bowler | Overs | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Economy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trent Boult | 7 | 1 | 18 | 2 | 2.57 |
| Matt Henry | 5 | 2 | 16 | 1 | 3.20 |
| Mitchell Santner | 7.4 | 0 | 39 | 3 | 5.09 |
| Lockie Ferguson | 7 | 1 | 19 | 3 | 2.71 |
| Rachin Ravindra | 7 | 0 | 42 | 1 | 6.00 |
| Glenn Phillips | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 |
Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner both finished with 3 wickets each. Trent Boult was simply magnificent — 2 wickets for just 18 runs in 7 overs. That’s an economy rate of 2.57 in an ODI World Cup match. If you want to know why Afghanistan’s chase never got off the ground, the bowling section of the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard says it all. Remarkable.
The Numbers Behind the Scorecard
When you look at the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from a statistical lens, a few things stand out starkly:
Phase-by-Phase Batting Comparison
| Phase | NZ Runs/Wickets | AFG Runs/Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| Powerplay (Ov 1–10) | 43/1 | 28/2 |
| Middle Overs (Ov 11–40) | 142/3 | 111/8 |
| Final Overs (Ov 41–50) | 103/2 | — (all out) |
| Dot Ball % | 51% | 62% |
| Extras Conceded | 10 | 5 |
The middle overs table is where the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard really separates the two teams. New Zealand scored 142 runs for just 3 wickets between overs 11 and 40. Afghanistan, in the same phase, lost 8 wickets for just 111. The match was effectively over by over 25 of Afghanistan’s chase.
Fun Facts & Record-Breaking Moments 🏏
Here are the standout numbers from the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard that you won’t want to miss:
- 427 runs — this was the highest match aggregate in any ODI between New Zealand and Afghanistan at the time.
- Lockie Ferguson’s economy of 2.71 in 7 overs was one of the best individual bowling spells of the 2023 World Cup.
- Trent Boult’s figures of 2/18 in 7 overs were equally special — he was barely hittable.
- Glenn Phillips became just the second New Zealand player to score a fifty while also being named Player of the Match in a World Cup knockout-style situation.
- Afghanistan’s middle-order meltdown — losing 8 wickets in the middle overs — was one of the defining collapses of the tournament.
- This was New Zealand’s 4th consecutive win in the 2023 World Cup, sending them to the top of the points table.
Expert Insight: What Did This Match Tell Us?
Looking at the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from a tactical and analytical angle reveals several important takeaways:
1. New Zealand’s middle-order depth is extraordinary. When they were 110/4 and seemingly in trouble, it wasn’t a recognized top-order batsman who rescued them. It was Phillips at six and Latham at five — two players who simply refused to panic.
2. Afghanistan’s bowling plan fell apart after the powerplay. They took early wickets and created pressure. But once the plan of containing Phillips and Latham failed, they had no Plan B. In crunch moments, that lack of tactical flexibility cost them dearly.
3. New Zealand’s seam attack is World Cup-caliber. Boult, Henry, and Ferguson — even on a subcontinental surface — were relentless. Economy rates under 3.5 across all three seamers in the powerplay made Afghanistan’s task impossible from ball one of the chase.
4. Afghanistan are genuinely improving. Despite the scoreline, their bowling in the first innings was competitive and disciplined. Rashid Khan at 4.30 an over in an ODI World Cup match is outstanding. The issue is batting depth — and the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard makes that painfully clear.
NZ vs AFG Head-to-Head Context (Up to October 2023)
| Format | Matches | NZ Wins | AFG Wins |
|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| T20I | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Overall | 6 | 5 | 1 |
New Zealand have historically dominated this head-to-head. But Afghanistan’s one T20I win shows they can spring surprises — and their improving batting lineup suggests that gap will narrow in the years ahead. The New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from October 18, 2023 was yet another chapter in a story that increasingly favours the Kiwis in 50-over cricket. Every New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard entry adds weight to New Zealand’s growing dominance in this rivalry.
Where Did New Zealand Go From Here?
After this win — which the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard shows was completely dominant — New Zealand went to the top of the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup points table with 4 wins from 4 matches and a strong net run rate. They continued their impressive run through the tournament, ultimately reaching the semi-finals.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, bounced back impressively — they went on to beat Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the remainder of the group stage, showing exactly the kind of resilience that makes them such a dangerous team despite this heavy loss.
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Conclusion
The New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard from October 18, 2023 is one of the more interesting scorecards of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 — not just because of the margin, but because of the story within it.
Afghanistan were actually in the game at 110/4. That collapse triggered the most important partnership of the match — Glenn Phillips and Tom Latham’s magnificent 144-run 5th-wicket stand — which put New Zealand out of reach. Then Boult, Henry, and Ferguson reduced Afghanistan to rubble in the chase.
Phillips (71), Latham (68), Boult (2/18), Ferguson (3/19) and Santner (3/39) were the names that made the difference. For Afghanistan, Rahmat Shah’s gritty 36 and Omarzai’s 27 were bright spots in an otherwise difficult day.
The New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard will be remembered for showing just how clinical the Kiwis can be when their middle order fires — and how Afghanistan, despite being a growing force in world cricket, still have a gap to close when it comes to batting in high-pressure chase situations.
A 149-run win. An emphatic statement. And a record match aggregate between these two sides — this was a World Cup day worth remembering.
FAQs
Q1. What is the result of the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team match scorecard from October 18, 2023?
New Zealand won by 149 runs. Batting first, they posted 288/6 in 50 overs. Afghanistan were bowled out for 139 in 34.4 overs. The full New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard is available on ESPNcricinfo.
Q2. Who scored the most runs for New Zealand in this match?
Glenn Phillips top-scored with 71 off 80 balls, followed by Tom Latham with 68 off 74. Their 144-run 5th-wicket partnership was the backbone of New Zealand’s total of 288/6.
Q3. Who were the top wicket-takers for New Zealand?
Lockie Ferguson and Mitchell Santner each took 3 wickets. Trent Boult took 2/18 in 7 overs — one of the most economical spells in the tournament. The New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard bowling section confirms these figures.
Q4. Who was the top scorer for Afghanistan in this match?
Rahmat Shah was Afghanistan’s highest scorer with 36 off 62 balls. Azmatullah Omarzai contributed 27, and Ikram Alikhil finished unbeaten on 19. None of them could build the long partnership Afghanistan desperately needed.
Q5. Who won the Player of the Match award?
Glenn Phillips of New Zealand won Player of the Match for his innings of 71 off 80 balls, which came at a critical time when New Zealand were 110/4. He was also Cricinfo’s MVP with 86.81 points.
Q6. What was the highest match aggregate between NZ and Afghanistan in ODIs?
This match set a record — the 427 total runs (288 + 139) was the highest match aggregate between New Zealand and Afghanistan in ODIs at the time.
Q7. What was Afghanistan’s bowling highlight in this match?
Rashid Khan was Afghanistan’s most economical bowler — 10 overs, 1 wicket, just 43 runs at an economy of 4.30. Naveen-ul-Haq (2/48) was their highest wicket-taker. For more details, the New Zealand National Cricket Team vs Afghanistan National Cricket Team Match Scorecard bowling summary on ESPNcricinfo has the complete breakdown.
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Last Updated: May. 22. 2026