NZ vs AFG 16th Match Prediction

NZ vs AFG Team Previews

New Zealand

New Zealand always seems to find its top form during the World Cup events and this year’s edition seems no different. The Black Caps have won each of their 3 matches so far and are sitting quite comfortably in the top 4.

These are however early days in the tournament and there is no room to be complacent for them.

New Zealand has excelled in all departments and that has shown in the huge margins of victory they have registered thus far. Devon Conway’s experience playing in the IPL has come in handy as he has been in blistering form, top-scoring for his team. He has been ably supported by Will Young and Rachin Ravindra at the top of the order.

Kane Williamson, who was playing his first match of the tournament on Friday, played a brilliant knock of 78.

However, a knock on the thumb forced him to retire early. Daryl Mitchell, known for his clean striking, hasn’t disappointed either. He will play a key role in the middle order along with Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips.

Coming to the bowling, Matt Henry has done an excellent job with the new ball, picking up 8 wickets. He will be supported by Boult and Lockie Ferguson. New Zealand has relied heavily on Mitchell Santner to perform in the spin department and he has delivered the goods so far. 

The biggest challenge that New Zealand will face is coutering Afghanistan's spin-trio. If they can manage that, the Kiwis should find themselves sitting pretty with four wins out of four. 

Afghanistan

Afghanistan had a pretty ordinary World Cup till this weekend as they faced consecutive defeats against Bangladesh and India. Most cricket betting sites predicted a similar outcome on Sunday as they faced the defending champions at a high-scoring venue.

However, Afghanistan played some brilliant cricket to overwhelm England and produce one of the biggest upsets in recent World Cup history. This is only the second time that Afghanistan has won a World Cup match, with the first one coming back in 2015 against Scotland.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran put up a century stand, their third this year, to set the stage for a big total. However, the middle order’s inability to perform consistently continues to mar Afghanistan’s prospects. Ikram Alikhil and Rahmat Shah will need to step up and score some runs in this match. 

The importance of runs from the top-2 is clear and they will be tested by New Zealand's bowlers. In fact, expect another Lockie Ferguson short ball barrage coming hard at the Afghan players.

The team has some talented all-rounders in the form of Azmatullah Omarzai and Mohammad Nabi who add depth to the batting. Afghanistan's famed spin attack, which had a relatively quiet start, finally came to its own, picking up 8 wickets.

Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman picked up 3 wickets each and will once again be the key bowlers. The pace department continues to remain a weakness. If, and that is a big if, Chennai offers help to the spinners, Afghanistan will go into this match believing it can win.