New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Rashid Khan impresses Chennai crowd with his exceptional football skills

Afghanistan's Rashid Khan showcases his football skills during the ODI World Cup match between New Zealand and Afghanistan.

Rashid Khan, the multi-talented cricketer, never ceases to amaze. Known for his exceptional bowling and batting skills, the Afghanistan allrounder is a true entertainer on the field. However, his football skills were a hidden secret until today.

During the 16th match of the ODI World Cup 2023 between New Zealand and Afghanistan, Rashid Khan, the spin magician, showcased his football prowess. In the midst of his seventh over, Rashid stopped the ball with his foot during his follow-through and skillfully started doing Keepy Uppy. The Chennai crowd was left astounded by his display of this difficult football trick.

New Zealand, after being invited to bat first by Hashmatullah Shahidi, posted a challenging total of 288 for 6 in 50 overs. Mujeeb-ur-Rehman made an impact early on by dismissing the dangerous Devon Conway in the seventh over. However, a resilient partnership of 79 runs between Rachin Ravindra and Will Young stabilized the Kiwi innings. Afghanistan, determined to make a comeback, quickly picked up three wickets for just one run, undoing the hard work of the batting pair.

But then came the partnership between Glenn Phillips (71) and Tom Latham (68), who joined forces to turn the tide in New Zealand's favor. Their magnificent 144-run stand for the fifth wicket proved to be crucial. Mark Chapman's quickfire knock of 25 off 12 deliveries in the death overs further boosted the Kiwis' total. Naveen-ul-Haq and Azmatullah Omarzai took two wickets each for Afghanistan, while Mujeeb and Rashid contributed with one wicket each.

Afghanistan had previously defended a similar total against England in Delhi. Now, the question arises whether they can successfully chase this challenging total on a different and difficult batting track. It will undoubtedly be an intriguing contest to watch.

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