Afghanistan faced a big setback in their World Cup campaign, falling short by 149 runs against New Zealand in their ICC World Cup clash on Wednesday.

New Zealand set a challenging total of 288 for six wickets after batting first.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2023: Netherlands record historic win against South Africa

Opener Will Young's 54 laid a solid foundation, complemented by stand-in captain Tom Latham's fifty. Glenn Phillips added to the score with a robust 71 off 80, featuring four fours and four sixes. Mark Chapman's brisk 25 off 12 deliveries, including two fours and a six, further bolstered the total.

Afghanistan's Naveen-ul-Haq claimed two wickets, conceding 48 runs, while Azmatullah Omarzai also secured two, conceding 56.

In response, Afghanistan lost wickets at regular intervals. Despite Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran's cautious approach, a solid start eluded them.

Also read: World Cup 2023: England outplayed as Afghanistan script historic win in Delhi

Rahman Shah, entering at number three, made a promising start with 36 but failed to capitalize. None of the Afghan batsmen managed to breach the 30-run mark.

In the 34th and 35th overs, Afghanistan lost their last four wickets in quick succession— in a span of eight balls. They eventually tumbled for 139 in the 35th over, succumbing to a defeat by a substantial margin of 149 runs.

In the previous match, Afghanistan stunned the current World Champions by 69 runs.

For New Zealand, Mitchell Santner and Lockie Ferguson each secured three wickets.

Also read: ICC World Cup 2023: Australia beat Sri Lanka in first win

This victory marked New Zealand's fourth consecutive win in the World Cup. In their first three matches, they triumphed over Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Netherlands.