Afghanistan Captain Laments Missed Catches and Pitch Misjudgment
After a devastating 149-run defeat at the hands of New Zealand in a World Cup game, Afghanistan captain Hashmatullah Shahidi expressed his disappointment. He attributed their loss to dropping as many as five crucial catches and failing to read the nature of the pitch. New Zealand batted first, posting 288/6 in 50 overs, with Glenn Phillips (71) and Tom Latham (68) surviving key moments to produce a match-winning 144-run partnership. Afghanistan, in response, was bowled out for just 139 in 34.4 overs. Shahidi acknowledged, “Very disappointed because at this level you have to take those kinds of catches. End of the day, those catches hurt us as otherwise the team was doing well but the fielding let us down.”

Turning Point in the Last Six Overs
The turning point in the match was the final six overs, during which Afghanistan conceded 78 runs. Shahidi pointed out, “Last six overs, a lot of runs were scored by New Zealand. Before that, we dropped two catches before the 40th over, and the set batters (Latham and Phillips) were there. That’s why we couldn’t stop them, as everything went their way.” If the missed catches had a detrimental effect, choosing to field after winning the toss was also a significant factor. Shahidi stated, “The toss I can say… We couldn’t judge the pitch properly. I think in the first innings, the ball was spinning (turning) and was a bit slow. We bowled well but our fielding wasn’t good.”

Impact After a Win Against England
Shahidi acknowledged the impact of not being able to maintain momentum after defeating England. He noted, “Tonight’s game will hurt us, but we still have more games to come. Next match is against Pakistan. We will go back and discuss where we can improve and will try to come back stronger.”

New Zealand’s Optimism
On the other side, New Zealand’s stand-in skipper Tom Latham expressed optimism about his team’s performance. He mentioned, “I guess on the back of some good performances, we are stepping in the right way. We have a week or so (4 days) and then we will play India (October 22) and then Australia (October 28), we are hoping to continue the momentum.”

Crucial Partnership and Missed Opportunities
Latham was pleased with the crucial partnership he and Glenn Phillips had during the match. He said, “We were put under pressure at certain times but putting pressure back on them at the end of the innings was great. I think at that time we lost three wickets in a short span of time, we tried to get a partnership there… took it nice and deep.” He also acknowledged the significance of the missed catches, stating, “There were a few chances here and there I guess. We tried to capitalize on those chances. Glenn played a fantastic innings, took the pressure off me. The guys set the tone at the top in the first 10 overs and kept chipping in.”

Mark Chapman and Mitchell Santner’s Contribution
The Man of the Match, Glenn Phillips, praised Mark Chapman and Mitchell Santner for their crucial contribution in the final stages of the match, making 34 runs in the last 2.5 overs. He mentioned, “It was great how we were able to take it till the end, and I think we understood what we could possibly get in the last 10 overs. It was amazing how Chapman and Santner finished it. I thought 250 was par.” He also highlighted the team’s unity, saying, “We are in an environment where we keep working for each other and play as a team. Latham was really good towards the end.”