Tom Latham Equals Brendon McCullum's Scoring Record For New Zealand In World Cup

New Zealand batter Tom Latham joined the likes of legend Brendon McCullum as the batter put up the most fifties for New Zealand in World Cups, with his stellar 68 runs off 74 balls against Afghanistan yesterday.

New Zealand looked geared up to make a push for the coveted World Cup trophy yet again, as the Kiwis have set off on a blistering start in their 2023 campaign, registering 4 out of 4 wins, leading the table currently.

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This is credit to an all-round performance from the squad, with the batting order standing tall every innings. An unspoken hero in the midst of all the flashy centuries though from Rachin Ravindra, Devon Conway and the likes has been the Kiwis’ stand-in captain, Tom Latham.

Due to the top order’s dominance, the 30-year old left-hander hasn’t been put under much pressure to put up any big scores of his own. But, the crafty lefty has been silently flying under the radar, as he put up two fifties in two innings in this year’s World Cup.

Latham was instrumental in New Zealand’s win against Afghanistan as he came in to bat at a pivotal moment in NZ’s innings, and anchored an solid 144-run partnership with Glenn Phillips to help New Zealand post their total of 288-6.

Latham’s innings helped him register his third fifty for New Zealand in World Cups, tying iconic wicketkeeper-batter Brendon McCullum’s record for most fifties scored by a wicketkeeper for New Zealand in the World Cup.

Retired NZ keeper, Lee Germon with a single 50-plus score is also a part of this club.

New Zealand dominated Afghanistan in an encounter that saw the Afghans let their winning hopes slip through their hands, literally and metaphorically, as the team dropped five major catches during the first innings.

READ: ‘Bottom Of The Class’: Jonathan Trott Laments Afghanistan’s Fielding Woes

New Zealand opener Will Young was dropped by Rahmat Shah off pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi before he had scored. The woes did not stop there as later on, skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi let off Rachin Ravindra on nought and opposing captain Tom Latham on 38.

On top of a lackluster fielding performance, Afghanistan’s batting order crumbled against the likes of Lockie Ferguson, Mitchell Santner and Trent Boult, who cleaned up the entire roster and sent the Afghans packing at a lousy total of 139 runs.