It is now two wins in two for Afghanistan, who enjoyed another impressive opening stand as Rahmanullah Gurbaz plundered 80 off 56 balls, including five fours and five boundaries, with Ibrahim Zardan adding 44.
Azmatullah Omarzai's dismissal for 22 saw Afghanistan stumble, but with a respectable 159-6, it was always going to be hard for New Zealand to chase.
The 2021 runners-up could not find their footing, with only two of their players reaching double figures – Glenn Phillips top-scored with 18.
They stumbled to 75 all out in just 15.2 overs, suffering their first T20 international defeat to Afghanistan, and they drop to the bottom of Group C.
Elsewhere, Bangladesh survived a scare to make a winning start to their campaign, getting a two-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Dallas.
Pathum Nissanka impressed with 47 off just 28 balls, but a flurry of late wickets saw Sri Lanka stumble to 124-9 after a strong start.
Bangladesh’s chase started poorly, with both openers being dismissed in the first two overs. However, after Towhid Hridoy's 40, and Liton Das' 36, Mahmudullah's 16 not out helped them over the line at the end of the 19th over.
Data Debrief: Dominant Afghanistan strike again
Afghanistan have opened an ICC Men's T20 World Cup campaign with back-to-back wins for just the second time, last doing so in 2016. They have now won their last four T20Is, their longest streak since 2022.
Gurbaz hit 50 for the second game in a row, improving on his 76 runs in their win over Uganada with 80 in this win.
Stokes is back in tow as a specialist batter after reversing his 50-over retirement last month ahead of England’s defence of their World Cup crown in India and got back into the groove with 52 off 69 balls.
It was not his most fluent effort but was one of four fifty-plus scores on a tricky pitch after the hosts were asked to bat first, with Dawid Malan contributing 54 off 53 balls before Jos Buttler top-scored with 72 off 68 deliveries.
Liam Livingstone added some impetus with a sparky 52 from 40 balls at the back end of an innings in which left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra finished with career-best international figures of three for 48.
The knocks of Malan and Livingstone are timely given their places in England’s provisional World Cup squad are thought to be the most vulnerable as Harry Brook makes a late case for selection.
Brook had an opportunity to push his claims after being shunted to open alongside Malan, with England cautious over Jonny Bairstow’s shoulder niggle sustained in the drawn T20 series and Jason Roy waking up on Friday morning with a back spasm that precluded his involvement.
It was his first time opening the batting in List A cricket and he tickled the first ball off his thigh to the boundary but it was Malan who stamped his authority on the union from then on, capitalising on wide or overpitched deliveries to the tune of six fours in the space of 18 deliveries at one point.
Malan was adept on the pull as New Zealand’s quicks dragged back their lengths, dispatching Kyle Jamieson then Lockie Ferguson to bring up a 48-ball half-century – his eighth fifty-plus score in 19 ODI innings.
He was unable to kick on, though, as Ravindra halted England in their tracks after an 80-run opening stand. The slow left-armer was already appealing when Malan missed a clip off his pads and only belatedly noticed the ball spin back and thud into off-stump.
Brook then departed in the next over for a pedestrian 25 off 41 balls as a brute of a bouncer from Ferguson brushed his glove on the way through to New Zealand captain Tom Latham.
Matters might have worsened for England as another sharply rising delivery caught Stokes out first up although the ball ballooned agonisingly over Glenn Phillips at gully.
Joe Root scratched his way to six off 15 balls but top-edged a slog sweep to Daryl Mitchell in the ring to give Ravindra his second wicket.
He conceded just eight runs in four overs before Buttler displayed a rare show of aggression by clattering the spinner over the shorter straight boundary for six.
With bowling all-rounder Chris Woakes at seven, Stokes and Buttler settled for watchful accumulation over outright might.
Buttler was busier and the pair both went to their fifties. But the ball after heaving Ravindra into the stands for his first six to go with three fours, Stokes clubbed to cover to end an 88-run stand.
Ravindra was taken the distance by Buttler while Livingstone upped the ante with three successive sixes off the expensive Jamieson.
Either side of two slower balls being shovelled over the leg-side boundary, Livingstone bludgeoned a pace-on delivery back over Jamieson’s head.
Livingstone and Buttler both miscued Tim Southee slower balls up in the air to end England’s hopes of a 300-plus total but David Willey’s 21 not out off 11 balls got them close.
In their first 20-over contest since the whitewash defeat to Bangladesh in March, England got off to a flying start, taking three wickets in the powerplay.
Glenn Phillips top-scored for the visitors with 41 off 38 before falling to Luke Wood, who finished with three wickets alongside Durham quick Brydon Carse.
Although Jonny Bairstow was dismissed early on, Dawid Malan’s 54 off 42 balls put England in the driving seat along with Harry Brook’s unbeaten 43 off 27 balls, giving the hosts the advantage going into the second T20 at Old Trafford on Friday.
Despite being given an early scare when Finn Allen smashed three consecutive sixes off the first over, a change of ends in the fourth helped Wood kick off a dominant powerplay for England.
The Lancashire bowler took the first wicket of the evening as Devon Conway feathered behind to Jos Buttler and more wickets tumbled when Carse resumed from the Finchale End to earn his first T20 international scalp for England after clean-bowling Allen.
Wood struck again to send Tim Seifert’s bails flying as New Zealand were suddenly 38 for three after six overs.
Their woes continued when Moeen Ali clipped Mark Chapman’s off-stump in the eighth over but Phillips and Daryl Mitchell tried to regain control with some good running to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Liam Livingstone ended the partnership, however, tempting Mitchell into looping the ball to long-off aiming for a six, but Brook was on the boundary to comfortably catch.
Phillips was the dominant batter at the crease looking to keep his foot on the gas, but he was beginning to run out of partners when Mitchell Santner sliced the ball straight to Wood off Adil Rashid.
Wood’s return in the 17th over saw Phillips eventually fall for 41 after Sam Curran made an excellent dive to his left.
Carse was handed the ball for the final over and ended Ish Sodhi and Adam Milne’s quickfire 26-run partnership, taking both of their wickets to finish with figures of three for 23.
Set 140 to chase, Bairstow opened the batting, smashing four off Tim Southee, but was caught out by the Black Caps captain as he edged to Mitchell at slip.
Aiming to capitalise on their positive start, Milne and Southee restricted England to singles but the introduction of Lockie Ferguson saw Will Jacks suddenly tee off, smashing back-to-back fours before thumping one into the stands for six.
Not to be outdone, Malan put away three consecutive fours off Santner and some more tidy running brought England to 61 for one at the end of the powerplay.
Sodhi struck in the seventh over when Jacks appeared to accidentally clip the ball with his bat twice allowing Allen to comfortably catch, but Malan instantly responded by belting a huge six over an outstretched Chapman at deep midwicket.
Not letting his omission from the provisional 50-over World Cup squad phase him, Brook dispatched two successive Sodhi deliveries into the stands and just after England reached the 100-run mark, Malan fired another ball into the crowd to bring up his 50.
Ferguson soon ended Malan’s heavy hitting with Mitchell catching the batter at mid-on, but Brook continued to put runs on the board before Livingstone put the game to bed in style with a huge six with 36 balls to spare.
The Strikers posted 199-9 from their 20 overs after being put in to bat by the Falcons at the Rangiri Dambulla International Stadium.
New Zealander Glenn Phillips led the way with a 43-ball 70 while Angelo Perera made 38 off 23 balls in support.
Pacer Dushmantha Chameera took 3-40 from four overs while Captain Wanindu Hasaranga and Shoriful Islam took two wickets, apiece.
Despite meaningful contributions from Mohammad Haris, Andre Fletcher, Kamindu Mendis and Angelo Mathews, the Falcons fell agonizingly short of their target finishing 197-8 from their 20 overs.
Haris led the way with 56 off 32 balls including five fours and four sixes while Fletcher hit five fours and two sixes on his way to 47 off 36 balls.
Matheesha Pathirana took 4-26 from his four overs for the Strikers.
The Falcons almost pulled it off after needing 20 runs in the final over.
Strikers captain Thisara Perera, who had only bowled one over before the 20th, took the responsibility upon himself to bowl the final over.
After dismissing Chatarunga de Silva off the first ball and conceding a single off the second, Angelo Matthews then hit the next three balls for a six, a four and another six leaving the Falcons needing three off one.
Perera held his nerve, dismissing Mathews off the lest ball of the match for 33 and securing the win.
Full Scores:
Colombo Strikers 199-9 off 20 overs (Glenn Phillips 70, Angelo Perera 38, Dushmantha Chameera 3-40, Wanindu Hasaranga 2-37, Shoriful Islam 2-43)
Kandy Falcons 197-8 off 20 overs (Mohammad Haris 56, Andre Fletcher 47, Kamindu Mendis 36, Angelo Mathews 33, Matheesha Pathirana 4-26)
Phillips, who played several years for the country’s Jamaica Tallawahs franchise in the CPL, looked right at home as he blasted 76 from 31 deliveries. The batsman was aided in the carnage by Daryl Mitchell who made 48 from 20 as the pair put on 83 for the fourth wicket.
No Windies bowler, in particular, did well against the onslaught with Obed McKoy claiming the best bowling figures with 3 for 40.
In reply, the West Indies never looked like making a game of the run chase. They managed just 125 for 9 in reply, lacking the partnerships that underpinned New Zealand's record innings, which was the most by a visiting team in the Caribbean.
With the top order vanishing in dizzying fashion, the Windies did not get a decent partnership until lower down the innings. The best two were 35 for the seventh wicket between Romario Shepherd and Rovman Powell, but that came when the Windies were 40 for 6 and well out of the game. Hayden Walsh and Obed McCoy put on 38 in an unbroken stand for the last wicket.
Mitchell Santner and Michael Bracewell did the damage for New Zealand with the ball, both finishing with 3 for 15.
Nightwatchman Nathan Lyon was the unlikely top scorer for Australia, falling on 41 with his first Test 50 in sight.
Cameron Green continued his form with 34, but all-rounder Phillips spun his way to five wickets and was on a hat-trick after removing Travis Head for 29 and dismissing Mitch Marsh with the next ball.
Phillips finished with 5-45 as Australia were all out for 164.
The Australians struck early in the Blackcaps innings, Lyon dismissing Tom Latham and Kane Williamson for single-digit scores, before part-timer Head removed Will Young for 15.
Rachin Ravindra (56 not out) and Daryl Mitchell (12 not out) dug in for the rest of the day.
Two days remain with New Zealand requiring 257 pull off what would be an incredible victory.
Phillips was put in to bat by Fletcher and the New Zealander took control of a digital version of himself and he was out of the gate like a shot, making 30 runs off the first over on his way to a match-winning score.
Chadwick Walton fell early but the wicket of his opening partner did not slow Phillips down as he brought up a 10 ball fifty in the third over as he used his crease to make it difficult for the bowler to bowl to his plans. It was 105/1 at the end of the fourth over and a single from the first ball of the fifth got Phillips back on strike for the last five balls of the innings.
Phillips continued to plunder runs from the last over, finishing on 80 (19) and leaving the Zouks a daunting 127 to win.
Fletcher got the Zouks chase underway with some fireworks as he took control of himself and smashed 26. He looked well set to match Phillips’ efforts, but a mistimed shot saw him caught at extra cover.
When Andre Russell had Rahkeem Cornwall caught and bowled in the next over it left the Zouks in trouble, and it got worse when Daren Sammy was out first ball.
Sandeep Lamichhane went even better than Russell when he picked up a hattrick, dismissing Mohammad Nabi, Roston Chase and Scott Kuggeleijn to leave the Zouks chase in tatters at 41/6.
Some lusty blows from Chemar Holder brought some respectability to the Zouks total as he made 34 (7) but it was too little too late as the Tallawahs emerged winners by 28 runs.
England captain Jos Buttler rested himself for the decider and would have been happy with what he saw as Bairstow smashed 73 from 41 balls at the top of the order, with six sixes and five fours to his name.
That conjured memories of his match-winning Test century against the same opponents at the same ground last summer, but after he holed out in the 12th over England ran out of steam as they slowed to 175 for eight.
Dawid Malan and Liam Livingstone both made 26 but neither were fully fluent as the Black Caps reasserted control with their spin contingent, who shared six wickets.
Meanwhile Harry Brook, whose hopes of forcing his way into England’s World Cup squad puts both Malan and Livingstone at some risk, could only manage four.
After finishing the England innings with five for 38 in the last five overs, New Zealand came out firing and made a confident pursuit to complete their comeback from 2-0 down with Buttler making an unexpected substitute’s outing behind the stumps after Bairstow reported a niggle.
Tim Seifert (48), Glenn Phillips (42) and Mark Chapman (40no) combined to take down England, who could not keep a check on the boundary count.
The pick of the home side’s bowling attack was 18-year-old Rehan Ahmed, making his debut on home soil after his rapid rise over the winter.
He was sharp and economical with two for 27 in his four-over allocation and also completed a run out, a timely reminder of his promise almost six months since his last England appearance.
The real business is now set to begin, with a ODI series starting in Cardiff on Friday in what represents a final warm-up for next month’s World Cup in India.
But England, whose evening ended with 16 balls unbowled as Luke Wood mis-fielded to gift the winning runs, will need to sharpen up.
Promoted to open, Nkrumah Bonner steered Sheldon Cottrell for four and drove Ish Sodhi for the game’s first Hero Maximum, but in trying to pick up a second off Imran Khan he chipped to Cottrell at long-on. The Tallwahs reached the Powerplay at 28 for 1.
Jermaine Blackwood got off the mark with a Hero Maximum off Sodhi, but Imran continued to be hard to hit. Patriots captain Rayad Emrit brought himself on, going for seven, and at halfway the Tallawahs were 53 for 1.
The first ball after the break, Blackwood carved Cottrell for four. Phillips ended that over with his first four off his 24th ball, but the Tallawahs lost Blackwood when he picked out Dunk at long-off off Emrit.
Phillips finally hit his first Hero Maximum off his 28th ball, lofting Jon-Russ Jaggesar over long-on, but should have fallen two balls later, Nick Kelly spilling a simple chance. Imran tightened the screw, finishing his miserly spell (the most economical completed spell of Hero CPL 2020) with a maiden to Phillips who was now 28 off 36 balls. After 14 overs, the Tallawahs were 79 for 2.
Asif Ali tried to pick up the pace, lofting the last ball of Jaggesar’s spell for a Hero Maximum but fell in the next over, Sodhi’s last, trying to repeat the trick. Evin Lewis must get credit for a well-judged catch on the midwicket boundary.
Phillips, at last, clicked, passing a run a ball off his 46th delivery and reaching 50 off his 47th with three Hero Maximums off Cottrell. While he managed another Hero Maximum off Emrit, the Patriots captain dismissed Rovman Powell and Carlos Brathwaite in quick succession and the Tallawahs reached 18 overs at 126 for 5.
Cottrell started the 19th over with three full tosses, the first a beamer, but finished by bowling the struggling Chadwick Walton. Phillips kept going to the end, levering a low full toss over long-on for a sixth Hero Maximum and whipping a four through square leg. Phillips’ acceleration was stark - he scored 38 off his first 44 balls and 41 off his last 17, and at the end, he was visibly drained, so much so Walton took over as wicket-keeper.
The Patriots too changed their openers, a groin injury to Lewis meaning Kieran Powell came up the order. While Chris Lynn opened his account with a Hero Maximum off Fidel Edwards, Edwards got revenge next ball with a late outswinger that hit middle stump.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Veerasammy Permaul bowled two overs apiece and conceded just one boundary, with Kieran Powell dropped by Asif off Mujeeb. The new opener cashed in with a lovely lofted four off Edwards. The Patriots closed the first six at 39 for 1.
The Patriots stumbled further when Ramdin edged a cut to keeper Walton off Permaul. Ben Dunk was bowled fourth ball by Brathwaite as part of a wicket-maiden, and Kieran Powell in trying to break free off Permaul gave Walton a stumping with time to spare. Between the Powerplay and the drinks break, the Patriots faced 20 balls and lost 3 for 6.
That stumping was Walton’s last act behind the stumps, as a recovered Phillips resumed his duties after drinks. After 10 overs, the Patriots were becalmed at 47for 4 with Lewis injured, and with two overs of Mujeeb and four overs of Sandeep Lamichhane still to come.
Emrit got his team their first boundary in 30 balls, but he fell two balls later leading-edging Brathwaite to point. Lewis could be delayed no longer, which in turn brought Lamichhane into the attack. Kelly swept for four, but still, the over went for just six, and after 13 overs the required run rate had climbed to 11 an over.
Rovman Powell brought back Mujeeb who went for just four. Lewis and Kelly managed a brief flurry of boundaries off Lamichhane and Edwards, but Edwards had the last laugh as Kelly dragged a pull onto his own stumps.
The Tallawahs’ elite spinners would be denied no longer. Lamichhane’s seam-up variation saw the valiant Lewis hole out to long-on, Mujeeb grabbed a simple caught and bowled off Cottrell, and Lamichhane bowled Sodhi with a googly. The game was already lost when the final wicket fell, Brathwaite picking up a third as some compensation for his duck today and his mauling by the Tridents’ Kyle Mayers on Wednesday.
Winning without the injured Andre Russell, who is expected to be fit for Tuesday’s game against the Trinbago Knight Riders, will please the Tallawahs camp no end, but the struggles continue for the Patriots who have left themselves with a lot to do in the last group matches of Hero CPL 2020.
After Allen took one wicket for 26 runs to assist in restricting the Strikers to 188-8, Rossouw exploded in the Kings turn at bat, smashing 12 boundaries and six maximums in a 50-ball knock that secured victory at 190-3 with nine balls to spare, at Dambulla.
Scores: Colombo Strikers 188-8 (20 overs); Jaffna Kings 190-3 (18.3 overs)
After electing to bowl first, the Kings made early inroads, as Asitha Fernando removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who made a quick fire 11-ball 27, with the score at 34-1.
Allen took 1-26 from four overs.
Glenn Phillips, with a 32-ball 58, and Angelo Perera, who was left unbeaten on 34, added 86 for the second wicket, before the latter retired hurt. Phillips’ struck six fours and three sixes in his top score, before he fell in the 15th over.
Following his dismissal, the remaining Strikers batsmen struggled to find rhythm, as Fernando (2-38) and Azmatullah Omarzai (2-31) did most damage for the Kings, with Allen getting in on the act.
Meanwhile, the Kings run chase started shakily, as the lost openers Pathum Nissanka (six) and Kusal Mendis (five), with the score at 30-2, before the Rossouw show.
The aggressive left-hander found a useful partner in Avishka Fernando, who made 58 off 35 balls, including seven fours and two sixes. The two put together a record third-wicket partnership of 120 runs, which surpassed the franchise’s previous best of 110 between Shoaib Malik and Avishka Fernando.
Though Fernando fell in the 15th over to Shadab Khan, the damage was already done, and Rossouw pressed on to seal the win, their fourth of the campaign.
With the win, Kings assumed pole position on the league table with eight points, followed by Galle Marvels (six points), with the Strikers, Dambulla Sixers and Kandy Falcons, all on four points each.
Russell boasted the team’s highest average of 44.40 last year, having scored 222 runs in 9 matches. The all-rounder also bagged three wickets. Brathwaite largely struggled with the bat, averaging just 12 runs in 11 matches but took 10 wickets.
Powell, who was the team captain, also had a below par season, scoring 106 runs in 11 matches for an average of 11.77, while Walton struggled after averaging 3 runs in eight matches, with a high score of 10.
Interestingly, there has been no mention of the team’s leading run-scorer last season, Glenn Phillips, who has been one of the team’s most consistent performers for the last 4 seasons. The 24-year-old was recently offered his first retainer contract by New Zealand Cricket.
Afghan off-spinner Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who was the team’s leading wicket-taker with 16 wickets last season, and Nepal leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who snared 12 wickets, the second most, have also not been retained.
In the meantime, the Tallawahs have also kept faith with fast bowler Fidel Edwards who showed plenty of pace after returning to the CPL in 2020. The Jamaica-based franchise will also be welcoming back left-arm spinner Verasammy Permaul and ICC America's player from last season, Ryan Persaud.
The rest of the squad, which includes the remaining 10 spots, will be announced in the coming weeks.
Seales bowled three overs and took two wickets for 21 runs to help restrict the Tallawahs to 135-8.
More impressive for the 18-year-old, was the fact that he was entrusted with opening the bowling along with Ali Khan against a powerful Tallawahs top order.
“Today, opening the bowling was not on the cards but after we saw the first couple of balls swing I thought might as well go pace out and see what we get,” said Pollard in an interview with Ian Bishop after the game.
But according to Pollard, the young talent has to be protected and he won’t be putting him in that kind of pressure situation regularly.
“We want to try to protect him as much as possible. He is young so we try not to throw him into the fire. Give him easy roles,” said Pollard.
Despite the need to protect Seales, Pollard did point out that the pacer seems to handle pressure well.
Seales first wicket was that of another youngster in Nicholas Kirton, trapping the number three batsman leg before wicket with a beautiful curling delivery.
The pacer was also given the 16th over with opener Glenn Phillips (58) trying to push the pace of a flagging innings and had him caught, trying to lift a fullish delivery over backward-square-leg, only to be snapped up by Dwayne Bravo on the boundary.
“[…] in the heat of the moment we’ve had to throw him into the fire and the couple of times he has come on, he has shown that he has that mental capacity you know, to take that sort of pressure,” said Pollard.
But Seales night with the ball ended after his third over, even though he had been bowling well, Pollard again deciding to ease him into the thick of things.
“It is not one where we gonna consistently give him the bowling in those pressure situations. I could have easily brought him back in that last over as well but, again, you leave him with that confidence and that high,” he said.
