New Zealand cruised to a comfortable 149-run victory over Afghanistan to maintain their unbeaten run in the Cricket World Cup on Wednesday.

To make a strong 288-6, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham, and Will Young all scored fifty runs and dropped catches helped them.

Then, the Black Caps bowled out Afghanistan for just 139 runs in 34.4 overs. Afghanistan had shocked host country England in their previous game.

“I thought 250 was par. We are in an environment where we keep working for each other and play as a team,” said man of the match Phillips who made 71.

New Zealand has won four games in a row and is now well on track to make it to the semi-finals. They came in second place at the last two World Cups.

Some of New Zealand’s best bowlers were Lockie Ferguson (3-19), Mitchell Santner (3-39), and Trent Boult (2-18). Together, they turned the game around.

In their four games, Afghanistan has only won one and lost three.

“We are very disappointed because at this level you have to take those kind of catches. End of the day those catches hurt us,” admitted captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, one of the worst culprits.

It was hoped that Rahmanullah Gurbaz could do as well as he did against England when he scored 80 runs.

On Wednesday, though, Matt Henry got rid of the opener in the sixth over for just 11.

Boult got rid of Ibrahim Zadran (14) and Azmatullah Omarzai (27), and Rachin Ravindra got rid of Rahmat Shah, who scored 36 runs and was Afghanistan’s top scorer.

Santner got his 100th wicket in his 98th ODI when he got Mohammad Nabi out for seven runs. He then destroyed the rest of the batsmen with Ferguson.

New Zealand came back from a dangerous 110-4 after being put in to bat on a slow pitch. Phillips hit 71 off 80 balls, Latham made 68 off 74 balls, and opener Young hit 54 off 64 balls.

New Zealand scored 62 runs in the last five overs, with Mark Chapman hitting two fours and a six in just 12 balls.

Afghanistan lost up to five catches.

Young was dropped by Rahmat Shah off of Fazalhaq Farooqi before he scored in the first over. Ravindra was dropped for 0 by the captain Hashmatullah Shahidi, and Latham was dropped for 38.

New Zealand got off to a slow start. Devon Conway was out for 20 in the seventh over by Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Young replaced captain Kane Williamson, who hurt his thumb in the last game, and he and Ravindra, who scored 32 off of 41 balls, added 79 runs for the second wicket.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, got back on track by getting rid of Ravindra and Young in the same over with just nine balls and one run.

In his knock, Young hit three sixes and four fours.

Rashid Khan, a spin bowler, got Daryl Mitchell out for one in the next over. New Zealand had lost their way.

Phillips, who hit four sixes and as many fours, joined stand-in captain Latham in a strong fifth wicket stand of 144 to get the innings going again.

Latham hit three fours and two sixes, but he and Phillips both fell for just one run, so Chapman had to step up late on.

Naveen-ul-Haq and Omarzai, both fast bowlers, each took two wickets.