A remarkable chase helped New Zealand overcome Afghanistan by two wickets in their penultimate ODI warm-up before the ICC Champions Trophy 2025.
On Sunday evening at the National Stadium in Karachi, Pakistan, Afghanistan scored 305-9, batting first. Rahmanullah Gurbaz scored 110 from 107 deliveries and Sediqullah Atal hit 52.
Rashid Khan took two wickets to drop the Kiwis to 152-5 in the 30th over, putting them in jeopardy for their tournament opener against Pakistan. Later, Dean Conway (66) and Glenn Phillips (46) retired to provide match practice for others.
Daryl Mitchell, the seventh-ranked ICC ODI batsman, was the Black Caps’ consistent finisher as he and Matt Henry scored an unbeaten 74-run combination for the ninth wicket to win the match.
Henry’s 31 off 20 complemented Mitchell’s 36 off 25. New Zealand was close, but Henry had to score the greatest strike rate in the match by anyone reaching double figures to win.
Before their Champions Trophy debut against South Africa on Friday, Hashmat Shahidi (40) and Ibrahim Zadran (32) helped Afghanistan score. Zadran opened with Gurbaz for 96 before Mitchell with the ball and Henry in the field removed him.
