In the 16th match of the ICC World Cup 2023, Afghanistan will face New Zealand at Chennai. The match happens on 18th October 2023. Following is the preview of the New Zealand vs Afghanistan today match in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan Today Match Preview
Afghanistan are coming into this game after upsetting the defending champions in their last game. Afghanistan are riding high on confidence as they defeated England at Delhi by 69 runs.
New Zealand on the other hand are quite confident and comfortable at the 2nd spot in the points table. New Zealand have not lost any game yet in the event, but they better be prepared for Afghanistan, and shouldn’t take them lightly.
The track of Chennai will definitely support the spinners and we saw in the game against England that Afghan spin attack is something to be afraid of. New Zealand also have a good look spin attack. They have Santner and Phillips playing regularly with Sodhi as backup option on the bench. Sodhi might come in the lineup to utilize the spin friendly conditions.
New Zealand will begin this game as favorites, but there remains a chance of a possible upset.
New Zealand Expected Lineup
New Zealand are likely to bring in Ish Sodhi and leave out Lockie Ferguson probably for this game. Will Young will replace injured Kane Williamson.
Expected Lineup: 1 Devon Conway, 2 Will Young, 3 Rachin Ravindra, 4 Tom Latham (C, WK), 5 Daryl Mitchell, 6 Glenn Phillips, 7 Mark Chapman, 8 Mitchell Santner, 9 Matt Henry, 10 Ish Sodhi, 11 Trent Boult
Afghanistan Expected Lineup
Afghanistan can bring in Noor Ahmed and go with all-out attack on New Zealand. This move has its pros and cons, but if you want to defeat one of the best of the tournament, you have to make a brave call.
Expected Lineup: 1 Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 2 Ibrahim Zadran, 3 Rahmat Shah, 4 Hashmatullah Shahidi (C), 5 Azmatullah Omarzai/Noor Ahmad, 6 Mohammad Nabi, 7 Ikram Alikhil (wk), 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 Naveen-ul-Haq, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan vs New Zealand head to head Record
Both teams have faced off twice in world cup history with the Kiwis winning both the outings. They have never played against each other outside the world cup.
Players to Watch-Out for
New Zealand’s pace attack of Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson has been brilliantly disciplined. Lockie might miss out in this game, but the other two pacers have been brilliant as well. Moreover, Mitchell Santner has done so well in the event. He has a fifer already and in the last game against Bangladesh, he had figures of 1/31 in his ten overs. In spinning conditions, Santner would be someone to watch-out for. Moreover, all the batters of the Kiwi side are in tremendous nick.
For Afghanistan, Gurbaz, Rashid and Mujeeb hold key. Gurbaz’s domination at the top of the batting order sets the tone for Afghanistan. In Afghanistan’s famous world cup win against England, Gurbaz scored 80(57) and set the tone for the other batters. Moreover, Rashid and Mujeeb really dominated in the game at Delhi. If Chennai continues to be helpful for the spinners, Mujeeb and Rashid can rip through the Kiwi lineup.
Afghanistan vs New Zealand Toss
Afghanistan is likely to win the toss and they might opt to bat first.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan Win Prediction
New Zealand will begin as favorites in this game with 60% chance of winning.
