Summary

  • New Zealand beat Afghanistan by seven wickets to make it three wins from three

  • NZ captain Kane Williamson top-scores with unbeaten 79 off 99 balls

  • Aftab takes all three wickets for Afghanistan, who have lost all three so far

  • Afghanistan bowled out in 41.1 overs - Hashmatullah makes 59 off 99 balls

  • NZ's Neesham takes best 2019 World Cup figures of 5-31; Ferguson 4-37

  • Day-night match at County Ground, Taunton

  • Follow in-play clips & TMS commentary (UK only)

Live Reporting

Tom Rostance and Callum Matthews

  1. NZ 13-1

    Target 173

    The new bowler at the other end is Hamid Hassan, also wearing a pleasing headband. Colin Munro comes down the track and has an ugly-looking swipe at the ball.

  2. Bryan Waddle
    BBC Test Match Special

    Don't put it there to Colin Munro!

  3. NZ 11-1

    Williamson 3, Munro 8

    Aftab Alam is sporting a fine 80s headband by the way, adorned with the Afghan flag. He overpitches a touch and Colin Munro drives him beautifully for four. And again! That made a very pleasing sound as Munro finds the middle of the bat, driven square. Fine shot.

    Mixed bag of an opening over.

  4. NZ 2-1

    Captain Kane Williamson is out in the middle, fast as you like. The in-house guitarist welcomes him with a burst of Pretty Vacant. Lovely.

    Williamson turns away for a single, and instead picks up two after some slack fielding.

  5. Mel Jones
    Ex-Australia batter on BBC Test Match Special

    If you're Aftab you'll be thinking 'why wasn't I picked in the first two games? This World Cup lark is easy!'

  6. wicket

    WICKET

    Guptill c Najibullah b Aftab 0 (NZ 0-1)

    Well then!

    First ball! Aftab slides one back into Martin Guptill, they all go up in an appeal for lbw at first, but he's inside edged it into his thigh pad and it loops up and is caught.

  7. New Zealand need 173 runs to win from 50 overs with 10 wickets remaining (Required run rate: 3.5)

  8. NZ 0-0

    Colim Munro and Martin Guptill stride out with confidence, the sun beats down, it looks absolutely glorious now. A far cry from the dank, dim afternoon we had a few hours ago.

  9. Here come the sides. Play on!

  10. There was one man who stood firm throughout though - well played Hashmatullah Shahidi.

  11. Each of Afghanistan’s last five ODIs have been won by the team to have lost the toss on the day, with Afghanistan picking up just two wins in that span (L3).

    New Zealand won the toss and had a bowl.

  12. The weather actually looks better in Taunton now than it has all day.

    New Zealand will be looking to make short work of this pretty meagre target. Afghanistan raced to 61-0 in their opening 10 overs, what can Guptill and Munro rack up?

  13. I presume every office has got a sweepstake going with such things? Top run scorer? Wicket-taker etc?

    No? Just us?

  14. How's stat?!

    Lockie Ferguson is now the outright leading wicket-taker at this World Cup 2019 (8)

  15. How are England getting on?

    Bangladesh are chasing England's mammoth 386 and while Shakib Al Hasan got a ton, he has just got out.

    Follow the latest here.

  16. 'I wanted to put in a performance'

    Jimmy Neesham, who took five wickets: "I went back to doing what I do well, hitting the deck as hard as possible. I didn't bowl well in the first two games so I wanted to put in a performance.

    "It's a pretty good wicket and I think the rain showers helped it quicken up a bit. We didn't get a lot of reward up top but you've just got to stick at it.

    "They've got a couple of good bowlers so we've got to start strongly with the bat."

  17. Image of the day

    Dog in the crowd in TauntonPA

    Superb.

  18. New Zealand have won 10 of their past 11 games at the World Cup, including two on the bounce thus far in the 2019 edition; their only defeat in that span coming against Australia in the 2015 final.

  19. Daniel Norcross
    BBC Test Match Special

    New Zealand are strong favourites.

  20. New Zealand won their opening match without losing a wicket, chasing down 137 inside 17 overs against Sri Lanka.

    I wonder if they'll fancy a repeat here?