Williamson: There are some world-class players in the Afghan side. It was important that we built pressure in the middle-overs, and the way the seamers came back in the middle-overs was fantastic.

Neesham, player of the match: Had to go back to what I do best and not worry about what some external voices had to say about by bowling. Tried to hit the deck hard today.

NEW ZEALAND WIN BY 7 WICKETS

Skipper Williamson hits the winning run by dabbing the ball down to third man. Afghanistan will rue the half-chances they couldn’t cash in on earlier. They could have had Williamson run out after yet another classic Taylor-Williamson mix-up. Williamson found his groove towards the end of the innings. Hopefully, Rashid Khan will be back in the next game. Neesham had a terrific day out and so did Lockie Ferguson.

New Zealand 168/3 in 31 Overs (Williamson 77, Latham 11)

A single of every delivery of the Alam over. New Zealand are one big hit away from victory. This has been a breeze since Williamson and Taylor steadied the ship.

New Zealand 162/3 in 30 Overs (Williamson 74, Latham 8)

Hassan strays one on the leg side and this time, Williamson flicks it away to the fence for a four. Three singles from the rest of the over. A touch over 10 runs to win now.

New Zealand 155/3 in 29 Overs (Williamson 68, Latham 8)

Naib is too full and wide and Williamson pounds him for back-to-back boundaries to the boundary, both of them zooming through the cover region. Twelve from the over and Williamson keeps strike. New Zealand just need 18 runs to win.

New Zealand 143/3 in 28 Overs (Williamson 58, Latham 6)

A big appeal goes up after Alam raps Latham on the pads but Aleem Dar is unmoved. Replays showed that it might have been a bad involved before it struck the pad. Alam can’t believe it and has a word with Dar. No reviews left. Otherwise, the ball pitched in line and was hitting the stumps.

New Zealand 141/3 in 27 Overs (Williamson 57, Latham 5)

Latam got off the mark by putting away a full-toss down the ground for a boundary. Williamson is able to pierce the gaps with ease and the batsmen are having little trouble pinching ones and twos.

New Zealand 130/3 in 25.3 Overs – Ross Taylor out!

Aftab Alam gets his third wicket. It was a low full-toss. Taylor misses and the ball clips the off-stump. The bowler is delighted and why wouldn’t he be? His teammates have not complimented him on the field, something that was on display in the previous delivery as well. Alam, though, continues to steam in like a gravy train.

New Zealand 124/2 in 25 Overs (Williamson 50, Taylor 43)

Williamson completes his fifty with a cut shot. A misfield allows the batsmen to complete a brace. It’s been a steady knock. Taylor, meanwhile, has cut lose and has hit a couple of fours and a six to take his team closer to a win.

New Zealand 81/2 in 18 Overs (Williamson 27, Taylor 25)

The senior pros are doing a much better job rotating strike at the moment. There was nearly another mix-up. There was a misfield from Hamid Hassan in the deep and the ball went to the boundary.

New Zealand 67/2 in 15 Overs (Williamson 24, Taylor 16)

New Zealand continue to be in no hurry whatsoever. Williamson and Taylor were nearly involved in another run out but the throw went slightly over Alikhil’s reach. Just six from the last two over.

New Zealand 61/2 in 13 Overs (Williamson 21, Taylor 13)

More good overs for the Afghans, keeping Williamson and Taylor on a leash. The boundaries have also dried up.

New Zealand 61/2 in 13 Overs (Williamson 21, Taylor 13)

More good overs for the Afghans, keeping Williamson and Taylor on a leash. The boundaries have also dried up.

New Zealand 56/2 in 12 Overs (Williamson 21, Taylor 8)

Naib gets a maiden over. It’s a tidy start for Nabi as well with just five runs from the over. Some decent overs for Afghanistan here. Another wicket would put serious pressure on New Zealand.

New Zealand 52/2 in 10 Overs (Williamson 20, Taylor 6)

There is a big shout for leg-before by Aftab Alam against Taylor but that was drifting down leg. The umpire was also not interested. Taylor is off with an authoritative pull shot.

New Zealand 46/2 in 9 Overs (Williamson 19, Taylor 1)

Afghanistan lose their review. That was a naive one from Gulbadain Naib. Umpire Gough had turned down the appeal for caught-behind. Naib couldn’t believe that it was not given out. Replays showed a straight line on the snick-o-meter. Shocker from the Afghan captain.

Update: Rashid Khan will take no further part in the match after a second concussion test.

New Zealand 41/2 in 7.5 Overs – Munro out

Afghanistan and Aftab Alam have two. Colin Munro tries to go over the top but gets a top edge. Hamid Hassan at third-man makes no mistake. Rashid Khan or not, Afghanistan are not taking any risks.

New Zealand 39/1 in 7 Overs (Munro 21, Williamson 14)

Munro is anchoring the chase. Williamson, meanwhile, has found his rhythm now. Two boundaries gets his innings on the move.

New Zealand 28/1 in 5 Overs (Munro 19, Williamson 6)

Rashid Khan has still not taken the field after taken suffering a knock off Ferguson. New Zealand are calmly going about with their task. They need to play low-risk cricket. Another wicket will send panic in their ranks.

New Zealand 20/1 in 3 Overs (Munro 13, Williamson 4)

Munro is looking in good touch and it looks like those two early boundaries put him at ease. As always, Williamson is in no hurry to get his innings up and running.

New Zealand 11/1 in 1 Over

What a start for Afghanistan! Aftab Alam gets Martin Guptill. The opener got a faint edge and Najibullah Zadran takes a safe catch. Meanwhile, Munro scores back-to-back boundaries to ease the pressure.

M Guptill c N Zadran b Alam 0(1)

AFGHANISTAN ALL OUT FOR 172

Shahidi’s superb fight comes to an end. Matt Henry dives forward and takes a great catch. Afghanistan are all out for 172. Ferguson finishes with four wickets. New Zealand bowlers are clinical once again. Ferguson was lightening quick today. Let’s hope all’s well with Rashid Khan.

H Shahidi c Henry b Ferguson 59 (99)

Afghanistan 163/9 in 38 overs

Hashmatullah Shahidi gets to a half-century with a boundary down the ground. It has been a gritty display from the left-hander. Wickets have fallen around him and he has single-handely kept the middle-order together.

WICKET! Afghanistan 147/9 in 35.4 overs

Lockie Ferguson gets his third and Latham picks up another catch. Another fine take as Aftab Alam’s entertaining cameo comes to an end. Alam had hit Ferguson for two back-to-back boundaries.

Aftab Alam c Latham b Ferguson 14 (10)

Afghanistan 139/8 in 35 overs

Shahidi has moved into the 40s but Ferguson continues. The pacer has been relentless today and has regularly clocked over 90mph. Can the Afghans move past the 150-run mark?

WICKET! Afghanistan 133/8 in 33.4 overs

Another one goes and Rashid Khan is dismissed. The Afghan spin ace, though, gets a nasty blow on his head from a short delivery from Lockie Ferguson. Rashid Khan needs some assistance walking off the field. The ball clipped him and rolled onto the stumps.

R Khan b Ferguson 0 (4)

WICKET! Afghanistan 133/7 in 33 overs

De Grandhomme gets Alikhil and Afghans lose their seventh. It was chipped to Guptill, who completed another easy catch. The procession continues. That was poor from the wicket-keeper batsman.

I Alikhil c Guptill b De Grandhomme 2 (22)

Afghanistan 130/6 in 32 overs (Shahidi 38, Alikhil 2)

The runs have dried up and Williamson brings on Lockie Ferguson. Once again, he finds a lot of pace and beats Shahidi outside off-stump. The pacers’s in-swingers have been a treat.

Afghanistan 126/6 in 29 overs (Shahidi 36, Alikhil 0)

The Afghans meander through their innings as survival is the key now. Shahidi drops anchor as the Kiwi bowlers continue to probe outside off-stump.

Afghanistan 120/6 in 27 overs (Shahidi 30, Alikhil 0)

There is a change in proceedings as Matt Henry is back in the attack. Shahidi continues to get a boundary or two to ease the pressure. Afghanistan need more of this. He needs some support at the other end, though.

Afghanistan 109/6 in 23 overs – Neesham has five!

Two wickets in four balls in the over for the medium pacer. The batsmen struggle with balls going away outside off-stump from a length. Latham has two more catches and the procession continues. Nabi and Najibullah Zadran depart.

Afghanistan 100/4 in 23 overs

One run from the over and Afghanistan bring up their century. It has been hard work for them after losing four quick wickets. This partnership is crucial for them.

The players are back on the field. Trent Boult has the ball in his hand.

8:20 pm: The play will restart at 16:05 pm local time (8:35 pm IST). The covers are going off. No overs lost yet.

8:16 pm: The rain has cleared up once again. We will have a stop-start encounter from the looks of it.

ANOTHER RAIN DELAY

Afghanistan 99/4 in 22.2 overs (Shahidi 12, Nabi 7)

The lights are on at Taunton and the players are rushing off the field. Williamson and Nabi, teammates at Sunrisers Hyderabad are spotted having a chat. One look at the clouds hovering over the ground paints a picture – it does not look good.

All you folks tuning in for the women’s singles French Open final, head over here

Afghanistan 90/4 in 21 overs (Shahidi 12, Nabi 7)

The first over after the rain-break is dispatched to the fence for a four. Six from the over. Clearly, the intent is to not get bogged down at the crease. Will we see a momentum shift here?

7:58 pm: The players are back on the field, De Grandhomme has the ball in his hand.

7:45 pm: The covers are off. Some good news from Taunton. The play should start soon.

RAIN STOPS PLAY!

Afghanistan are 84/4 in 20 overs and the covers are on. Oh dear, let’s hope we don’t have another washout after the debacle yesterday.

Afghanistan 79/4 in 19 Overs

Follow the live updates of the French Open semi-final between Djokovic and Thiem here. Shahidi finally breaks the shackles with a punch through the off-side for a boundary, which brings big cheers from the crowd.

Afghanistan 72/4 in 18 Overs

Another maiden over. Shahidi tried to swing it big on the off-side and missed. Neesham got his rhythm back and bowled stump-to-stump to the left hander. No respite for Afghanistan and the maiden over spree continues.

Afghanistan 72/4 in 17 Overs

Shahidi gets a run, the first in what seems like an eternity. The runs have dried up and how. New Zealand are not offering any freebies and two new batmen are struggling to middle the ball.

Afghanistan 71/4 in 16 Overs

That’s another maiden from Ferguson, who continues to be relentless with his pace. There will be a change in personnel with De Grandhomme coming into the attack. Williamson still has personnel in catching positions. Three maidens on the trot for Ferguson.

Afghanistan 70/4 in 14 Overs – Gulbadain Naib out!

The review was taken after Aleem Dar had raised his finger. The replays show that Naib had got a thin edge on its way to the keeper. Afghanistan continue to lose their way in the middle.

Gulbadain Naib c Latham b Neesham 4(4)

Afghanistan 70/3 in 14 Overs

Maiden over for Ferguson. The pacer is cranking up some serious pace and Shahidi is forced to defend after being squared up atleast twice in the over.

Afghanistan 70/3 in 13 Overs (Shahidi 0, Naib 4)

The over ends with the skipper moving out his front leg and going down the ground for a boundary. The Afghans’ approach hasn’t changed. They will take the attack to New Zealand.

Afghanistan 66/3 in 12.3 Overs – Rahmat Shah out!

Another one goes and New Zealand are on a roll. Shah got a leading edge trying to work the ball on the leg-side. Martin Guptill at gully does the rest. The wickets continue to tumble.

Afghanistan 66/2 in 12 Overs

New Zealand have found their groove back and Ferguson nearly got his side another breakthrough with a peach. The ball zoomed past Shahidi at 90 mph and the batsman didn’t have a clue where it came from.

Afghanistan 66/2 in 11.1 Overs - Zadran out!

Another soft dismissal. That was angled down the leg side from Ferguson and Latham takes a safe catch behind the stumps. Double breakthrough for the Kiwis, who have roared back in the contest.

Noor Ali Zadran c Latham b Ferguson 31(38)

Afghanistan 66/1 in 10.5 Overs - Zazai out!

Zazai is dismissed. It was a much-needed breakthrough for the New Zealanders. The left-hander goes for a wild slash over point and it’s a simple catch for Colin Munro.

Hazratullah Zazai c Munro b Neesham 34(28)

Afghanistan 61/0 in 10 Overs (Zazai 34, Noor Ali Zadran 26)

There is no respite for the New Zealand bowlers. In comes Lockie Ferguson and he goes for runs too. Zadran pierces the off-side field and the ball goes past mid-off. 10 from the over.

Afghanistan 51/0 in 9 Overs

12 from the over! Zazai hits the first SIX of the match. The left-hander pounced on it in a flash and clubs it over deep mid-wicket. Henry continues to be expensive.

Afghanistan 37/0 in 7 Overs

This is excellent from the Afghan batsmen. They are going for their shots and the boundaries keep on coming. Can they build on this? Matt Henry has gone for plenty so far and has looked off colour.

Afghanistan 27/0 in 5 Overs

DROPPED! De Grandhomme drops skier from Zazai, who continues to go for his shots. Big reprieve for Afghanistan. That went miles in the air. The batsmen continue to attack Matt Henry, who has gone for plenty in these early overs.

Afghanistan 19/0 in 4 Overs

Much better from Matt Henry. No width on offer it’s a lot fuller and slower for the batsmen. Just two from the over. Zazai had clubbed him for three consecutive boundaries in the first over. Three from Boult’s second over. Zadran is taking his time in the middle while Zazai is his aggressive self.

Afghanistan 16/0 in 2 Overs

Fine start for the Afghanistan openers. They are throwing caution to the wind and its just the start they looking for. Matt Henry is clubbed for three boundaries in first over by Zazai and they were back-to-back. The batsmen are not holding back.

Harzratullah Zazai and Noor Ali Zadran are at the crease. Matt Henry is to bowl.

5:50 pm: The national anthems are on. There was forecast of rain but it’s nice and sunny at Taunton right now.

5:40 pm: Afghanistan have made three changes with Ikram Alikhil replacing the injured Mohammad Shahzad. Aftab Alam and Noor Ali Zadran also come into the lineup.

Lineups

Afghanistan Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib(c), Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan

New Zealand Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

5:35 pm: Williamson: It is nice to have a couple of wins in front of us. We have to adapt to the new surface.

Naib: It looks like a good wicket. We have to play positive cricket and I would have batted first. We have three changes.

TOSS: New Zealand have won the toss and Kane Williamson opts to field first.

5:15 pm: For Afghanistan, it was a case of so close yet so far in Cardiff. They had restricted Sri Lanka to a modest score and started well in the chase. Unfortunately, they were left licking their wounds as Nuwan Pradeep and Lasith Malinga saved them from the blushes. New Zealand started the tournament with a commanding 10-wicket win over Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh, though, pushed Black Caps to the limit in the previous game. In a see-saw game, New Zealand required Mitchell Santner’s heroics to take them over the line. New Zealand currently lie on top of the table with four points and have a superior run-rate compared to Trans-Trasman rivals Australia. Pacers Trent Boult and Matt Henry have been superb for New Zealand whereas Mohammad Nabi is fresh from bowling one of the greatest overs in the history of the tournament. Taunton is expected to be a high-scoring ground.