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| New Zealand vs Afghanistan CWC 2023 |
Afghanistan's cricket team, buoyed by a surprising victory over England, is facing a crucial World Cup match against New Zealand. New Zealand aims to maintain their unbeaten streak in the tournament and secure the top spot in the points table. However, Afghanistan is determined to continue their impressive performance and potentially cause another upset.
New Zealand's regular captain, Kane Williamson, who recently returned from injury, is sidelined again due to a thumb fracture, and Tom Latham will lead the side. The New Zealand team relies on their top-order batsmen, including Will Young, Devon Conway, and Daryl Mitchell. They will face a challenge from Afghanistan's spinners, Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi.
Afghanistan, captained by Hashmatullah Shahidi, is banking on their in-form players like opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz to counter New Zealand's pace attack. In their previous encounters, New Zealand has won both times. This match will test New Zealand's batting against Afghanistan's spinners, promising an exciting contest.
New Zealand and India are the only teams in the World Cup that remain undefeated after playing three matches. New Zealand has an opportunity to temporarily claim the top spot when they face Afghanistan on Wednesday.
The match will take place at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
New Zealand is aware of the threat posed by Afghanistan, particularly because the pitches at Chepauk have traditionally favored spinners. Afghanistan boasts two highly skilled spin bowlers, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb-ur-Rahman, who played a significant role in their surprising victory over defending champions England in the last match.
New Zealand, on the other hand, is in exceptional form, with five consecutive ODI victories. They have their own in-form spinner in Mitchell Santner. New Zealand began the tournament with a nine-wicket win over England, followed by a 99-run victory over the Netherlands and an eight-wicket win against Bangladesh. New Zealand will once again be without captain Kane Williamson for Wednesday's match, but they secured their first two victories without him.
In just four days, Will Young has gone from being a drinks-bearer to a key player for New Zealand. Similarly, Tom Latham has shifted from being a non-captain wicketkeeper to leading the team. These rapid changes are due to the circumstances in New Zealand's World Cup campaign, where injuries and replacements have been constant. Young is now filling in for Kane Williamson, who just recovered from an injury but now has a thumb fracture, while Latham has taken up the captaincy again. Despite these adjustments, both Young and Latham are honored to represent their country, and the match against Afghanistan will test how well they adapt to these challenges.
The game between New Zealand and Afghanistan will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, where a good crowd is expected. The pitch for this match, pitch #6, is anticipated to hold up well and could favor both short and long boundaries. The weather in Chennai is expected to be hot, with highs of 32 degrees Celsius, which will feel like 38. The last two World Cup games at this venue were won by the teams batting second, despite minimal dew.
The toss for the New Zealand vs Afghanistan match is scheduled for 1:30 PM IST, and the match will commence at 2:00 PM IST.
Possible Playing XIs:
New Zealand Probable XI:
Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c/w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Afghanistan Probable XI:
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (w), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Team Watch:
For New Zealand, Kane Williamson is unavailable due to a thumb fracture, so Will Young will replace him. While Tim Southee is fit and waiting on the sidelines, there's little reason to rotate the bowlers in this match.
Afghanistan is likely to field the same team that secured a victory against England in Delhi. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, their leading run-scorer in the tournament, received a demerit point for his on-field behavior but isn't at risk of immediate suspension.
Key Tactics & Strategy:
Afghanistan's victory against England was built on a century opening stand between Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. However, both openers have shown vulnerability against left-arm fast bowlers. New Zealand's Trent Boult is a crucial bowler to contain these openers, as he can exploit this weakness.
New Zealand might field five left-handers in their top eight, making Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi a key bowler to challenge these batsmen with his off spin.
Key Facts:
- New Zealand has won both of their previous World Cup encounters against Afghanistan. In their last meeting during the 2019 World Cup in Taunton, Lockie Ferguson took 4/37.
- Afghanistan ended a 14-match losing streak in World Cup matches by defeating England.
- New Zealand has remained unbeaten in their last six completed ODIs in Asia, including matches in Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India.