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'A really special story' - what Afghanistan's U19 win over NZ means for cricket

January 26, 2018

Breakfast's Jordan Oppert caught up with tournament director Brendan Bourke to chat about the result.

After Afghanistan's famous win over New Zealand in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup yesterday, tournament director Brendan Bourke says that the result is good for both the minnows, and the game as a whole.

Batting first, Afghanistan racked up an impressive score of 309/6 from their 50 overs, before spin duo Mujeeb Zadran and Qais Ahmed routed the hosts for just 107, sealing a whopping 202-run victory.

However, while some in New Zealand might view the result as a disaster, Bourke says that the result should be taken into context, considering the achievement of Afghanistan.

"It was certainly a result that - if you're a Kiwi fan - wasn't what you were after," he told TVNZ1's Breakfast today.

"But for Afghanistan, it was some story and I'm sure that they're going to kick on and make some noise for the rest of the tournament."

Having confirmed their status as a Test match nation last year, the future looks bright for Afghanistan, with the pathways now in place for their young cricketers to flourish on the world stage.

"For developing countries like Afghanistan, it's a really special story."

"They've had some great results and played some really good cricket, and they also beat New Zealand two years ago in Bangladesh as well.

"For them, it's probably not unexpected."

Afghanistan will next face Australia in the tournament semi-final, just one win away from booking their spot in the World Cup's finale, and although hopes of a trans-Tasman clash have been scuppered, Bourke says that he's pleased with the performances of the perceived minnows.

"This is what under-19 cricket is all about, the future stars do come to play - we don't know who's going to be the next superstars."

"It's going to be a really exciting next few days."

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