Afghanistan’s thrilling victory over England has injected fresh dose of excitement into the World Cup. They demonstrated their ability to conquer any team when they hit their stride. This journey takes them to Chennai, where they face a formidable New Zealand team at MA Chidambaram Stadium on October 18.
The spin-friendly conditions in Chennai could play to Afghanistan’s advantage. Having breezed past England, Netherlands and Bangladesh, New Zealand would look to maintain their unbeaten run. Their batting has been prolific and bowlers have demonstrated efficiency in taking wickets.
The Kiwis understand the importance of accumulating points in a long competition like this. Captain Kane Williamson’s absence due to a thumb injury will be felt in this game, with Tom Latham taking the responsibility once more, after the games against England and Netherlands. While New Zealand are a formidable unit, their collective ability against the turning ball will be tested by Afghanistan.
Afghanistan’s stunning win against England has the potential to upset equations. Their next two matches are in Chennai. Turn on the pitch and the longer boundaries will provide the spinners greater opportunities to make an impact.
In their last game, Afghanistan’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided a brilliant start, but the middle-order struggled. However, the lower-order stepped up to set up a challenging total. Facing the in-form Kiwi bowlers, Afghan batters must come up with their A game to have a shot at victory.
Time and Venue Details
October 18 from 14:00 IST. M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
Expected conditions
The weather forecast is promising clear skies and no rain. The pitch at MA Chidambaram Stadium might assist spinners. Batting is expected to be easier in the first half of the match.
Probable XIs
New Zealand: They are expected to bring Will Young back in place of the injured Williamson.
Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c/wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
Afghanistan: No injury concerns means they are likely to field an unchanged XI.
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
Match-ups
Trent Boult vs Afghan openers:
The Afghan openers displayed competence in handling England’s left-arm pacer Reece Topley’s new-ball spell. If they can do that against Boult, their chances will brighten.
Will Young vs Mujeeb Ur Rahman:
Mujeeb’s proficiency with the ball earned him the Player of the Match award against England. He was brilliant with the new ball and took wickets with the old ball as well. His confidence is soaring and he will seek to unsettle Young early in his innings.
Team speak
The cricket Afghanistan has played over the last few years has been very dominant. The way they played against England the other day was impressive. We know they have a lot of game-changers. We will not take them lightly. It is something on which we will be doing our homework and plan accordingly.
New Zealand’s Matt Henry told Sportstar
Rahmanullah is one of our match-winners. He can change the game anytime. Whenever I am talking to him, I am telling him that. He did well in the last game but unfortunately, he got run out. Whenever he does well, our team performs automatically.
Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afghanistan captain