AFG vs NZ Live Score: Afghanistan is all set to lock horns with New Zealand in Match 16 of the ODI World Cup 2023. They locked horns with Defending Champions England at Arun Jaitley’s stadium in Delhi where Afghan registered a massive win to earn the maiden points of the tournament. That win has taken Afghanistan to sixth spot at the Points Table. But now they will have a big challenge in place with New Zealand in front of them as opponents as they will face the Black Caps at the MA Chidambaram stadium in Chennai. Black Caps are unbeaten in the tournament & comfortably occupy the second spot at the Points Table with 6 points from three matches & an NRR of 1.604.
Teams Preview
New Zealand Preview
New Zealand looks dedicated to achieving their goal i.e. a gleaming World Cup trophy as they have won three out of three matches & look like a full-fledged team. New Zealand has defeated England, Netherlands, and Bangladesh without breaking a sweat & would like to continue the winning momentum against Afghanistan as well. In the batting order, Conway is their biggest bet who has scored 229 runs in 3 matches at an average of 114 and a strike rate of 104. Conway has a lot of experience in playing on this ground & we expect another thrilling performance in this game on a batter-friendly pitch at Arun Jaitley Stadium.
Another player to watch out for is Daryl Mitchell, who is the most successful middle-order batter for New Zealand at current times. With 333 runs in 7 matches at an average of 83.25, he will be their biggest bet against Afghanistan. Tom Latham & Phillips will aim to get back into their lost form & deliver in the lower order.
In the bowling order, New Zealand’s bowling is admirable with Henry being their bowler to watch out with 8 wickets in 3 matches at an economy of 4.23. However, the bowler who can make a difference on this pitch is Mitchell Santner who has grabbed 8 wickets & will look to trouble the Afghan batters. He will get good support from Lockie Ferguson who has returned with three wickets against Bangladesh.
New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:
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 Preview
Afghanistan has scripted history by pulling off a spectacular win against defending Champions England. Never could anyone even wonder that Afghanistan could beat England by 69 runs with their lethal spin & seam bowling under the floodlights at Arun Jaitley stadium. The star of their victory Rahmanullah Gurbaz who returned with figures of 80 runs off 57 balls will be their player to watch out for. While in the lower order, the heroics of Ikram Alikhil helped Afghanistan to post an opposing 284 runs on board.
The team will also hope that their veteran player Ibrahim Zadran who hasn’t delivered in the tournament yet gets back his lost fire. He has a good record in the ODI format with 550 runs in 14 innings at an average of 42.30, so a blistering knock is just around the corner for Zadran.
In the bowling order, the spinners could dominate the Balck Caps. This a slow & turning pitch that can suit the bowling style of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi. The trio shared 8 wickets between them in a fixture against England & will aim to continue their havoc against the Kiwis as well. The trio can have a major influence on New Zealand in today’s clash.
Afghanistan Predicted Playing 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
Pitch & Weather Conditions
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram stadium has something to offer for the bowlers, especially the spinners. Batting will be easier in the first half of the innings but as the match progresses it will aid spinners with batters finding it difficult to score. In the two matches played at the MA Chidambaram stadium teams have managed to post a total of 199 & 245 on board. If the pitch remains the same you can expect another low-scoring fixture today.
Toss to Bowl
Both the matches at the MA Chidambaram stadium in the ODI World Cup have been won by the team chasing the target. Thus the team winning the toss should opt to bowl first.
Winning Prediction
Afghanistan will be brimming with confidence after registering a memorable win against England. But now the challenge is bigger with Black Caps in front of them. New Zealand is functioning like an oiled machine with no chance of failing in any of its tasks. Their players are in good form & look all set to register another win in the tournament. Though the pitch will offer aid to Afghanistan’s spinners, Balck Cpas batters will unlikely to crumble so quickly. Considering the form of batters & the lineup we expect New Zealand to win this fixture against Afghanistan
Also read, Five Youngest Players in ODI World Cup 2023
