AFG vs PNG: "One of the top picks" - Mark Waugh fires massive warning after Afghanistan’s sensational upset over New Zealand

The Afghanistan cricket team won the hearts of former Australian cricketer Mark Waugh and well-known sports broadcaster Harsha Bhogle with their sensational performance in the ongoing ICC T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean.

Afghanistan left a strong impression on Harsha and Waugh with their historic triumph over New Zealand in their second T20 World Cup 2024 match in Guyana on Saturday, June 8, and the main architects of this win were Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.

In an electrifying showdown at the Providence Stadium in Guyana, Afghanistan pulled off one of the sensational upsets in the history of the T20 World Cup by crushing New Zealand by a staggering 84 runs to cement their status as a formidable force in international cricket.

Afghanistan’s sensational upset over New Zealand wins Harsha Bhogle and Mark Waugh's hearts

The match began with the Afghanistan cricket team’s dominating batting, as Gurbaz took charge and delivered a masterclass with his explosive innings of 80 runs off 56 balls, and this set the stage for a competitive total against the Black Caps.

Complementing Gurbaz’s brilliance, Ibrahim Zadran added a valuable 44 runs, steering Afghanistan to a respectable total of 159/6 on the board against the New Zealand cricket team at the Providence Stadium in Guyana.

New Zealand seemed poised to chase down the target with ease, but Afghanistan’s bowlers had other plans, as Farooqi and skipper Rashid Khan led the charge with a devastating display of bowling that left the Kiwis shell-shocked in Guyana.

Farooqi struck gold with his very first delivery, cleaning up opener Finn Allen for a golden duck, and went on to pluck three more fish to record the stunning figures of 4/17 in his 3.2 overs against the Black Caps.

On the other hand, Rashid, living up to his reputation as one of the best T20 bowlers, delivered a stunning performance, finishing with 4/17 to dismantle New Zealand’s middle order.

New Zealand’s batting line-up crumbled under the pressure, managing a mere 75 runs in 15.2 overs—their second-lowest total in T20 World Cup history and their fourth-lowest in T20I cricket. It was also their biggest defeat in terms of runs in the history of the T20 World Cup.

Harsha Bhogle and Mark Waugh hail Afghanistan’s remarkable T20 World Cup 2024 performance

After the match, Harsha Bhogle took to his microblogging handle X to laud Afghanistan for their remarkable performance against New Zealand. The commentator said that the Afghan team is doing many things right in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, with the batter doing a great job for their bowlers.

Harsha wrote on X: “How good have Afghanistan been! Overjoyed for them. They were a bowling side early on, still one of the better ones in this tournament, but now their batters are giving them the runs. They are doing many things right.”

How good have Afghanistan been! Overjoyed for them. They were a bowling side early on, still one of the better ones in this tournament, but now their batters are giving them the runs. They are doing many things right.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) June 8, 2024

Replying to Harsh’s appreciation post for the Afghanistan team, Australian Mark Waugh went a step ahead and warned the other participants of the T20 World Cup 2024 of Rashid’s team. Waugh called the Afghanistan side a huge threat and said they are one of his hot picks for the mega event.

Waugh posted on X: “Huge threat in this tournament. One of the top picks in my book.”

Huge threat in this tournament. One of the top picks in my book.

— Mark Waugh (@juniorwaugh349) June 8, 2024