In a stunning turn of events, New Zealand, a powerhouse of T20 cricket, has been eliminated from the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup. Despite defeating Papua New Guinea today, their fate was sealed by Afghanistan’s dominant victories earlier in Group C.
New Zealand’s campaign started poorly, suffering heavy defeats at the hands of both Afghanistan (by 84 runs) and West Indies (by 13 runs). Even a win against Papua New Guinea couldn’t salvage their position as Afghanistan and West Indies secured the top two spots with 6 points each from three matches.
This marks a historic low for New Zealand, as it’s the first time they’ve failed to progress beyond the group stage in the T20 World Cup. Their remaining matches against Uganda and Papua New Guinea will be mere formalities.
