We'll have to put this behind quickly and move on: Kane Williamson

It could not have begun worse than this for New Zealand. Chasing 160, they were bundled out for just 75 - their lowest total in the T20 World Cup. But before that, their fielding and catching too were not up to the mark, allowing Afghanistan to post a competitive total. 

"Congrats to Afghanistan, they simply outplayed us in all facets," New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson said after the match. 

"To get to that total on that surface, they kept their wickets and made a good score. We'll have to put this behind quickly and get back to our next challenge. The boys did work hard in preparations for this match but it was hard and we need to move on quickly. Games come thick and fast in this tournament."

Williamson was not pleased with the way his boys fielded, especially in the first 10 overs. "Our fielding was a let down, particularly in the first 10 overs, we had our chances and we didn't use them. We need to take a step in the right direction, we know we are better than this, we'll have to go away and give ourselves the best chance going into the next match," the skipper said.

"We didn't take our opportunities and it goes a long way in changing the outcome of the match. Once they had a score, their bowlers executed their skills well."

Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan rates this as one of his side's best wins in T20 cricket. "One of our best T20 performances from us, especially against a big team like New Zealand. The wicket wasn't easy to score, Gurbaz and Ibrahim batted really well, it was a superb performance with the bat, ball and the field," Rashid said.

Rashid, who finished with 4/17, also praised fast bowler Fazalhaq Farooqi for setting up the platform with the ball with three wickets in the powerplay.

"He has been giving us the base the way he's bowled in the two matches has been amazing, he's very skillful, but he can continue to work on his bases and become even better," he said.

Player of the match Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who scored 80 off 56, says his team came into the tournament with the belief that they can beat anyone. 

"Nothing is [more] special than this. We have been waiting for this victory for the last three years. We faced them and they beat us, finally we beat them. The trust and the belief was there from the very start. We had the trust that we can beat any team in this competition. The wicket was not easy, the total was very good, very happy," Gurbaz said.

Speaking of his opening partnership with Ibrahim Zadran, Gurbaz said, "This is a very good partnership as openers. We have a very good combination. Sometimes [if] it's not my day, he tries to take on the bowlers. If it's my day, I tell him to give the strike to me. The conversations go on."

Afghanistan currently sit on top of Group C with four points from two games, which includes a massive net run-rate of +5.23, and have given themselves a massive chance of making it through to the Super Eights. They will be up against Papua New Guinea (PNG) next on June 13 (Thursday). in Trinidad.

New Zealand, on the other hand, will look to turn things around with a win over West Indies on June 12 (Wednesday), also in Trinidad.

If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.