CWC 2019: ENG vs BAN and AFG vs NZ Review

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Image Courtesy: Times Now

England returned back to winning ways after ousting the Bangladesh side while the Blackcaps made easy work of Afghanistan.

Match 1: England vs Bangladesh; Sophia Gardens, Cardiff

Image Courtesy: Times Now

The England side was devoid of Moeen Ali who was out for this encounter, Eoin Morgan named an extra pacer in the form of Liam Plunkett for the all-rounder. After being put into bat by Mashrafe Mortaza, the opening pair were shackled for the initial few overs before going all out.

Bangladeshi bowlers had no reply to the carnage put on by Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow. Roy, in particular, looked in great touch. The maverick opener raced to 150 with three consecutive sixes of Mehidy Hassan but was soon dismissed.

The baton was soon switched over to Jos Buttler who continued his impressive run as well. A stellar cameo of 27 off just 8 balls in the end by Plunkett was a cherry on top as England finished with 386-6. Their highest ever World Cup total.

Shakib Al-Hasan stood out for Bangladesh with this third consecutive fifty. The all-rounder took things up a notch by converting it into a century. The target looked out of reach for the side as they succumbed to a defeat by 106 runs. Jofra Archer stood out again with the ball after picking up a three-wicket haul.

Match 2: Afghanistan vs New Zealand; Taunton

The clash between the sides who are at the opposite ends of the CWC 2019 table started off in favour of the underdogs. Afghanistan, who were without the services of Mohammad Shahzad due to injury, roped in Noor Ali Zadran.

The opening pair raced away to 60-0 in no time before calamity struck. Half of the side were back in the pavilion in no time. Hashmutallah Shahidi stuck around till the end for a well made 59, but it was not enough as they collapsed to 172.

Martin Guptill was dismissed for a first ball duck to begin the second innings on a bright note for the bowling side. But the calmness of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor ensured a smooth chase for the Kiwis, who reached the target with 18 overs to spare.

Kane Williamson scored an unbeaten 79 while Ross Taylor fell two short of his fifty. This win propels the Blackcaps to the top of the table with them yet to taste defeat. Jimmy Neesham was adjudged as the Man Of The Match for his five-wicket haul.

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