Martin Guptill in action at McLean Park today. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The New Zealand Herald's expert sports panel provides commentary on all the action from the Black Caps v Afghanistan World Cup match at McLean Park today.
We will keep you up to date with all the action throughout the day. Scroll down for our live match statistics, including the live scorecard and ball-by-ball updates.
You can also listen to live commentary of the match on Radio Sport - click here
6.04pm - NEW ZEALAND WINS!
Corey Anderson hits the winning runs, giving the Black Caps a six-wicket victory. That's four from four for McCullum's men now. They're looking in fine fettle, even if this match wasn't the most scintillating you're likely to see at the World Cup. Afghanistan fought hard throughout, but the outcome of the match never seemed in doubt. Vettori was the star for the Black Caps in the field with four wickets, while Guptill hit a nice half-century in the chase. Thanks for joining us today. Make sure you join us again for New Zealand's next match against Bangladesh. The full match report will be online shortly, so stick around.
5.52pm - New Zealand 175-4 (34 overs)
WICKET! Elliott runs himself out. He middles a shot to mid-off and takes off for a kamikaze and totally pointless run. The Afghanistan fielder gathers the ball and duly throws the stumps down. Silly stuff. Corey Anderson comes to the crease with just 12 runs needed for the win.
5.45pm - New Zealand 168-3 (32 overs)
Taylor has 18 now off 31 balls, while Elliott has 13 off 20. Neither has looked convincing.
The sun is still scorching the crowds here in Napier #cwc15 #hawkesbay #backtheblackcaps #NZvAFG pic.twitter.com/CYggejhFRB
— Hawke's Bay, NZ (@HawkesBay_NZ) March 8, 2015
5.36pm - New Zealand 163-3 (31 overs)
We've come to expect startling performances from the Black Caps during this World Cup, but this game is garden variety at best. The crowd, like much of the play, is very subdued. But in spite of that, a few things have come off today that will bode well for the rest of the tournament. The main one is that Martin Guptill, Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott have got some much-needed time at the crease. The second is that Daniel Vettori seems to be bowling himself into sublime form. Just 27 runs needed now.
5.30pm - New Zealand 155-3 (29 overs)
There's a lot of talk going on about Ross Taylor's form. He's been out there for 25 balls now and has scored 15 runs, which is OK insofar as things go, but he's barely hit the middle of the bat in that time. Looks quite low on confidence. That run out won't have helped, either.
5.19pm - New Zealand 143-4 (27 overs)
WICKET! Guptill is run out. It's a cruel blow because he didn't look like getting out any other way. He took off for a quick single, and some miscommunication with Taylor brought about a mid-pitch stutter. Guptill gave up at that point, but the throw from the Afghanistan fielder missed. But because Guptill hadn't run, the fielder gathering the overthrow was able to have another crack. Schoolboy error from Guptill. He'll be kicking himself too, because he was playing so nicely. Elliott comes to the crease.
The Hadlee Stand at McLean Park in Napier. pic.twitter.com/ynoEuNHWJu
— Ric Salizzo (@ricsalizzo) March 8, 2015
5.18pm - New Zealand 139-2 (27 overs)
It's great what time at the crease does. Guptill looks to be in fine touch now. He just played a wonderful short arm jab down the ground off Dawlat, just a cheeky checked shot that relied entirely on timing.
5.12pm - New Zealand 134-2 (25 overs)
Martin Guptill brings up a well-made 50, coming off 69 balls. A timely return to form for the Aucklander. He'll be very keen to be out there at the end. Just 53 runs needed now.
5.00pm - New Zealand 122-2 (22 overs)
The Black Caps are edging towards victory here, with 65 more runs needed. Guptill is going along nicely, with 42 from 58 balls. This is valuable time at the crease for him. Taylor has looked very scratchy in the two overs he's been out there. Hopefully he can stick around and use this opportunity to bat himself into some kind of form. Looks like he's over-thinking things, somewhat. His highest score in the World Cup so far is the 14 he got against Sri Lanka. Since then he hasn't managed to get into double figures.
4.45pm - New Zealand 111-2 (19th over)
WICKET! The old nelson strikes. Williamson falls from the bowling of Shapoor for 33, trying to pull but the ball came onto him a bit too quickly. He miscues his shot which is gladly received by Shenwari at mid-wicket. Taylor comes to the crease. Time for some runs Rosco.
4.41pm - New Zealand 108-1 (18 overs)
Guptill and Williamson have just brought up their 50 partnership. NZ needs 79 more runs for victory and to keep their unbeaten World Cup record on track.
4.36pm - New Zealand 102-1 (17 overs)
Williamson is such a delightful batsman to watch. He dances down the pitch to the spinner Shenwari and elegantly chips him over mid-wicket for four. Hallmarks of Glenn Turner there. No blasting from KW - just pure timing and class. So good.
4.28pm - New Zealand 89-1 (15 overs)
The game has gone into a sleepy lull. Not that I'm complaining. Guptill (26) and KW (19) are going about their work in a sensible fashion, ticking off the runs and rotating the strike nicely. The run-rate has dropped below six, but that won't bother the Black Caps. They know there are some big games ahead, so they can treat this innings like an extended practice session. That may sound smug if you're an Afghanistan fan, but the reality is the Kiwis only need another 98 runs from 35 overs.
After his innings of 42 (19) Brendon McCullum still has the highest strike rate (193.02) @cricketworldcup #nzvafg http://t.co/UiWLgsceJf
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 8, 2015
4.15pm - New Zealand 79-1 (12 overs)
Things are ticking along nicely here. KW and Guptill have picked up the tempo, with the Black Caps now travelling at just under seven per over. Afghanistan's bowlers are not embarrassing themselves out there. Dawlat, Shapoor and Hassan all look like they know their stuff. NZ needs a further 107 runs for victory.
4.06pm - New Zealand 68-1 (10 overs)
Much better from Guptill, who puts the ball to the boundary three times in that over from Hassan. The first was a crisp cover drive that was all Martin Crowe, the second a paddle shot around the corner to backward square, and the third was a delightful lofted drove over long on.
3.58pm - New Zealand 54-1 (8 overs)
The pace has really slowed down with McCullum's departure. KW is typically cautious, notching one from seven, while Guptill is busy middling shots but straight to fielders - he's nine off 22 after seeing out a maiden from the impressive Hamid Hassan. Don't want to tempt fate here, but it would be good for NZ's World Cup cause for Ross Taylor to get some solid crease-time today.
3.50pm - New Zealand 53-1 (6th over)
WICKET! McCullum falls, bowled by Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi. B-Mac had smashed the previous ball for six over deep square leg and tried to do the same again, but the delivery was just a bit too fall and the NZ skipper ended up dragging the ball onto his stumps. McCullum departs for 42 off 19 balls. Kane Williamson comes to the crease.
Not that we need it but it's #SteadyTheShip time! #NZvAFG pic.twitter.com/A2YaZshckP
— The ACC (@TheACCnz) March 8, 2015
3.42pm - New Zealand 41-0 (5 overs)
The Black Caps are off to yet another flying start. McCullum has raced to 30 off 15, while Guptill has chipped in with nine off 15. Rambo Hassan has bowled well and looked the most likely of the Afghan bowlers. It would be great to see McCullum go on to a big one here.
3.30pm - New Zealand 16-0 (3 overs)
Hamid "Rambo" Hassan bowls a great over. Genuine pace and good yorkers has McCullum in a bit of trouble, but the NZ captain survives and goes on to smash the last ball down the ground for four. He's gone to 17 off nine. Guptill is more circumspect at the other end, with just one run from nine balls.
Hassan #NZvAFG pic.twitter.com/jfVAZ0yhP1
— The ACC (@TheACCnz) March 8, 2015
3.23pm - New Zealand 12-0 (1 Over)
Guess what? B-Mac isn't mucking around. He slaps two straight fours in the first over off Dawlat. Shapoor to open up at the other end.
It should be a compulsory national requirement for everyone to watch McCullum when he bats
— Ric Salizzo (@ricsalizzo) March 8, 2015
3.15pm - New Zealand 0-0
The players are back on the field. McCullum and Guptill to open for the Black Caps. Expect fireworks.
Daniel Vettori has 12 wickets in this tournament, and he's going at 3 an over.
— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) March 8, 2015
THREE.
2.43pm - Afghanistan 186 all out
WICKET! Anderson picks up Hassan to finish the innings off. Afghanistan have done well to get to a respectable score. Putting Daniel Vettori to one side, it was a largely indifferent effort in the field from the Black Caps. Boult contributed with three wickets, but there was a distinct feeling of listlessness out there. Never mind, though - the Black Caps will be very confident of chasing this score done with the minimum of fuss. We'll have an innings report online shortly. Stay tuned.
2.40pm - Afghanistan 181-9 (47 overs)
Great rear-guard action from the Afghanistan lower-order. Hamid "Rambo" Hassan has just clobbered three fours in quick succession to take his side ever closer to the 200 mark. They've fought valiantly, considering they were 59-6 at one point.
2.31pm - Afghanistan 166-9 (46th over)
WICKET! Anderson removes Shenwari for 54. The ball hurried on to Shenwari as he tried to pull it over square leg. The ball skied off the top edge, presenting Ross Taylor with a simple catch.
Sheen v Hassan #TheACCnz pic.twitter.com/aVy7zyuy9M
— The ACC (@TheACCnz) March 8, 2015
2.26pm - Afghanistan 163-8 (45th over)
Shenwari brings up his 50 - the 10th of his ODI career. He's played a great hand today, dragging his side to a respectable position. Boult finishes his spell with figures of 3-34 off 10. Tidy stuff.
2.22pm - Afghanistan 159-8 (44 overs)
Can Afghanistan bat out their 50 overs? They're certainly on track. Shenwari has 47 now.
2.15pm - Afghanistan 151-8 (42nd over)
WICKET! Boult picks up Dawlat Zadran for one. Boult came around the wicket to the right-handed Dawlat who feathered an edge through to Ronchi. Hamid Hassan, the man affectionately known as Rambo, comes to the crease.
At this point I'm reasonably certain that Dan could just cool his heels for 4 years and start playing again just before the 2019 WC.
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) March 8, 2015
2.07pm - Afghanistan 151-7 (40 overs)
Dawlat Zadran is the new man at the crease. Afghanistan brings up the 150. This will now be New Zealand's biggest run chase of the tournament, having previously been set 143 by Scotland, 124 by England, and 152 by Australia. By those standards Afghanistan is really bringing it to the Black Caps.
For the first @BLACKCAPS game since opening day of the World Cup lunch will be taken at the conclusion of the first innings
— Sports Freak (@Sportsfreakconz) March 8, 2015
1.56pm - Afghanistan 145-7 (39th over)
WICKET! Milne makes the breakthrough, picking up Najibullah Zadran for 56. A great innings comes to an end. Milne digs it in short, and Zadran rocks back and tries to slap it over point. It was a bit too quick on him though, and he ended up skying it Vettori down at third man.
1.52pm - Afghanistan 144-6 (38 overs)
This partnership between Najibullah Zadran and Shenwari has gone to 86 now.
1.50pm - Afghanistan 138-6 (38th over)
B-Mac obliges by bringing Elliott on, with Ronchi standing up to the stumps. Zadran slaps a four to bring up his 50. Great effort.
1.45pm - Afghanistan 134-6 (37 overs)
Terrific stuff from Zadran. The 22-year-old has gone to 47 from 49 balls. He's played the NZ bowling lineup as well as anybody has so far in this tournament. He looks like a genuine class act. Meanwhile, McCullum will be somewhat frustrated by the current state of affairs. His side has let the game drift over the past 10 overs, with the bowlers looking listless. Perhaps it's time to give Grant Elliott a roll.
1.33pm - Afghanistan 120-6 (35 overs)
Southee hasn't had the best day at the office. He's bowled nine wicketless overs now for 36 runs. Not expensive, sure, but at no point has he looked particularly threatening. Can't help but thinking that today might have been a good day to give him a rest. Adam Milne has bent his back, clocking the fastest ball of the day at 152 km/h. Corey Anderson is still on, toiling away, but the game has hit a bit of a lull where nothing much seems to be happening.
1.25pm - Afghanistan 118-6 (33 overs)
Zadran has gone to 34, while Shenwari has accumulated 32. The partnership is now 59. McCullum will want a wicket out of his bowlers here.
1.20pm - Afghanistan 113-6 (32 overs)
To underscore just how good the New Zealand bowling lineup has been at this tournament, Black Caps bowlers now occupy numbers 1, 2, and 3 on the 2015 World Cup wickets table. Southee is at the top with 13, with Vettori and Boult taking 12 each.
1.13pm - Afghanistan 110-6 (31 overs)
Vettori finishes his spell with the brilliant figures of 4-18 off 10 overs. His spell included four maidens. The big crowd at McLean Park gives him a generous round of applause. After being unavailable for what seemed like years, he has fast become an integral part of NZ's World Cup chances. Meanwhile, Shenwari and Zadran's partnership goes past the 50 mark. Good cricket all round. Corey "Golden Arm" Anderson is on at the other end.
Credit to Joel Belsham for this #SteadyTheShip #NZvAFG pic.twitter.com/3Vqam5qsrs
— The ACC (@TheACCnz) March 8, 2015
1.09pm - Afghanistan 104-6 (29 overs)
Great stuff here from Shenwari and Zadran. They've put on 45 runs together to take Afghanistan past the 100 mark. If they can stay together for another five or so overs Afghanistan will have a fighting chance of posting a reasonable total.
12.54pm - Afghanistan 95-6 (25 overs)
Well, that was an entertaining over. Zadran belted one of the biggest sixes you're likley to see, then tried the same again next ball. He didn't get all of it though, and the ball skied incredibly high. The usually reliable Martin Guptill moved in from the boundary to take it but spilled the chance. After a single Shenwari decided to get in on things, and drove Southee straight for a beautiful four.
Let's face it; that was a bad dropped catch. Not buying that stuff abut "the blue sky"
— Sports Freak (@Sportsfreakconz) March 7, 2015
12.49pm - Afghanistan 83-6 (24 Overs)
Southee comes back into the attack and Zadran clobbers him over cow corner for six. Total disrespect. Great stuff from the Afghani.
12.41pm - Afghanistan 77-6 (23 overs)
Milne clocks 151km/h, but Zadran seems to be handling him quite well. Better than quite well, actually - he's just spanked the paceman for four through wide mid on. A TV poll has just revealed that viewers think Brendon McCullum is the most influential World Cup captain in NZ history. That's a big call - I'm still sticking with Martin Crowe. Too early to give a verdict on B-Mac yet.
Daniel Vettori six over, three maidens, 4 for 9. Freak!
— Veitchy on Sport (@veitchynz) March 7, 2015
How's this field for Vettori's hat trick ball?? pic.twitter.com/nhUiJby52S
— Andrew Gourdie (@AndrewGourdie) March 7, 2015
12.31pm - Afghanistan 59-6 (20 overs)
What an over from Vettori. Two wickets in a row, and for the hat-trick ball McCullum brought six men around the bat. It looked like the fifth day of a test match out there. Afghanistan are in all sorts of trouble now. Milne steams in. Najibullah Zadran and Samiullah Shenwari are the batsmen, in case you were wondering.
12.28pm - Afghanistan 59-5 (20th over)
WICKET! Vettori stikes again. Nabi goes, caught at slip by Ross Taylor. That's wicket number 301 for Dan. And then guess what. ANOTHER WICKET! Vettori traps Zaazai in front and the umpire has no hesitation. Vettori has figures of 4-5 off 5 overs.
12.23pm - Afghanistan 58-4 (19 overs)
Adam Milne is bowling nice and quickly here. His action is starting look more and more like that of his mentor and coach, Shane Bond.
12.18pm - Afghanistan 57-4 (18 overs)
Boult back into the attack. Seems clear that McCullum wants to kill this Afghanistan innings off as soon as possible. As good as all this is for the Black Caps, it looks as though they'll be in for yet another short run chase, which will do nothing for the likes of Taylor and Elliott who desperately need time at the crease. Let's hope Afghanistan can stitch together a couple of partnerships to give the Black Caps something half-decent to chase.
12.15pm - Afghanistan 53-4 (17 overs)
Mohammad Nabi is the new man for Afghanistan, playing in his 50th ODI match.
Congratulations to Dan Vettori on becoming the first NZer to take 300 ODI wickets! #backtheblackcaps #cwc15 ^RI pic.twitter.com/7VYkBHwpvH
— BLACKCAPS (@BLACKCAPS) March 7, 2015
12.10pm - Afghanistan 49-4 (16 overs)
We all know of B-Mac's mantra about 'team above everything else', but he's taken it to a whole other level now. He's just recruited himself to go under the helment at silly mid-on for the remainder of Vettori's over. Surely being captain gives you the privilege of putting some other joker under the lid. How about Guptill? Or Elliott? Make them useful.
12.07pm - Afghanistan 49-4 (16th over)
WICKET! Spoke too soon about Afghanistan's recovery. Vettori chips out Mangal with yet another arm ball. Great moment for Dan - that was his 300th ODI wicket. Excellent achievement.
12.04pm - Afghanistan 49-3 (15 overs)
Afghanistan are going along nicely. Mangal has compiled an accomplished 27 off 45 balls.
11.54am - Afghanistan - 38-3 (12 overs)
Afghanistan are going along at around three runs per over. Boult, meanwhile, has bowled five overs for figures of 2-12. Dan Vettori comes on to replace Southee at what they're calling the coast end of the ground. Afghanistan could be forgiven for feeling a little jaded. Some pretty ordinary scheduling has meant they've already clocked up over 10,000kms worth of air miles so far in the tournament, jetting back and forth between Dunedin, Perth and Napier.
11.42am - Afghanistan 28-3 (9 overs)
The Boult-train rolls on. To be honest, it wasn't the best of balls - a half-tracker delivered from around the wicket. Stanikzai just wafted at it and scooped the simplest of catches to Martin Guptill. Samiullah Shenwari comes to the crease. He's Afghanistan's leading run-scorer at this tournament, so a lot will be riding on his shoulders.
Wicket! Oh Boulty, Oh Trenty Boult, beautiful lovely Trenty! #NZvAFG
— The ACC (@TheACCnz) March 7, 2015
11.39am - Afghanistan 24-3 (9th over)
WICKET! Boult snares Stanikzai, caught at gully from a short-pitched ball.
11.35am - Afghanistan 24-2 (8 overs)
Mangal and Stanikzai go to nine runs each, as the visitors reach 24-2. Boult and Southee are running in an doing their thing, but the atmosphere out in the middle seems slightly subdued at the moment. The crowd's making plenty of noise, though.
11.26am - Afghanistan 17-2 (6 overs)
Apparently this is the first time the Black Caps have played Afghanistan in an ODI match. Which is surprising, really. In any event, Afghanistan are making an effort to rebuild here following those two early wickets. Both Stanikzai and Mangal look competent with bat in hand. Stanikzai just pulled Southee off his nose for a delightful four. Rolled the wrists and got it down very nicely. Ricky Ponting-esque.
Brilliant day in @HawkesBay_NZ to watch an historic #CWC15 match for the @BLACKCAPS in #NZvAFG. pic.twitter.com/T5RSEZ4ohi
— New Zealand Cricket Museum (@NZCricketMuseum) March 7, 2015
11.22am - Afghanistan 7-2 (4 overs)
Boult does come on at the other end, so Vettori's interlude (successful though it was) was just to facilitate an old switcheroo between the opening bowlers. I should point out that Asghar Stanikzai is the new batsman.
11.16am - Afghanistan 6-2 (3 overs)
McCullum's reputation as a tactical genius has just been reaffirmed. He brings Vettori on in the third over of the match and - what do you know - Dan the Man takes a wicket. The wicket ball was a regulation Vettori arm-ball that went straight through the gap between Ghani's bat and pad. B-Mac brings on Southee in place of Boult, so I wonder if Vettori will be spelled so Boult can come on at the other end.
11.14am - Afghanistan 6-2 (3rd over)
WICKET! Vettori clean bowls Ghani.
11.09am - Afghanistan 6-1 (2 overs)
That wicket was vintage Boult. The left armer is running into a fairly stiff breeze, but the wind helped to shape the ball back into the right-handed Ahmadi and hit him just in line with the leg stump. Nawroz Mangal is the new batsman. McCullum makes a suprising decision here - he brings on Vettori to replace Southee after just one over.
11.07am - Afghanistan 6-1 (2nd over)
WICKET! Boult traps Ahmadi in front. They go upstairs for a review but no luck for the Afghani. Trent strikes again. What a tournament he's having.
11.04am - Afghanistan 6-0 (1 over)
Tim Southee completes the first over. The Afghanistan openers are Javed Ahmadi and Usman Ghani. Ghani seems pretty decent - has an ODI hundred to his name against Zimbabwe. They both dealt with Southee pretty comfortably. Let's see how they go against Trent Boult.
10.57am
Rousing stuff indeed, but anthems at a cricket game still seem flat-out strange. The Black Caps lads belted it out in fine voice, and look steeled for a decent contest. Great crowd at the ground, great weather, an unchanged and unbeaten team hungry for success - who could ask for more from a Sunday?
10.55am
The teams are singing the anthems at the moment on a fine and sunny day in Napier. The Black Caps had hoped to bat first to give the likes of Ross Taylor and Grant Elliott a chance to get some much-needed time at the crease. It was an interesting choice from Afghanistan to bat first and set a total. Shows great confidence, which is a little surprising given the hammering they took from the Australians a few days ago in Perth.
10.47am
Here are the team sheets for today's match:
New Zealand
MJ Guptill, BB McCullum*, KS Williamson, LRPL Taylor, GD Elliott, CJ Anderson, L Ronchi†, DL Vettori, AF Milne, TG Southee, TA Boult
Afghanistan
Javed Ahmadi, Usman Ghani, Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi*, Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai†, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran
10.43am
Good morning everybody, and welcome to the Herald's live coverage of the Black Caps v Afghanistan Cricket World Cup match at McLean Park in Napier. Stick with us as we bring you all the action throughout the day. The news from the ground is that Afghanistan has won the toss and chosen to bat. We'll have team sheets and a toss report available shortly. Stay tuned!
Commentary
Scoreboard
Manhattan/Worm
Wagonwheel
For more coverage of the Cricket World Cup from nzherald.co.nz and NZME check out #CricketFever.
The White Ferns have remarkably reached the final.