Betting Tips

New Zealand will be looking to make a winning start to its World Cup campaign as it takes on Afghanistan in a Group C fixture. The two teams will clash at the Providence Stadium in Guyana on Friday.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan Head-to-Head Record

New Zealand had faced Afghanistan just once prior to this match and defeated them.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan Live-Streaming and Broadcast

This match will be live-streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar App. One can also watch this game on the Star Sports Network. 

NZ vs AFG Team Previews

New Zealand

As the ultimate T20 glory continues to elude the Black Caps, they once again start as the favorites in this match and will look to gain a strong start to its fresh campaign.

New Zealand managed to make it to the semifinals in the last season. They have named a squad that is pretty similar to that that made the trip to Australia, barring the inclusion of Rachin Ravindra and Matt Henry, who replace Martin Guptill and Adam Milne respectively.

New Zealand boasts of a strong batting line-up which will be led by Kane Williamson. Devon Conway and Finn Allen are likely to open and will be followed by the likes of Daryl Mitchell, Ravindra, Williamson, and Glenn Phillips.

A lot of power and flexibility is present in the New Zealand batting lineup. We think Rachin Ravindra has the game to really make an impact even though he did not have a great IPL. 

The pace attack will be opened by the experienced duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee with Lockie Ferguson, while Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner will look to cap the batting during the middle overs. We have seen spin be a big factor at Guyana and Santner might be a good option for the top bowler for New Zealand in this match. 

New Zealand Expected Playing 11

Afghanistan

Afghanistan made a positive start to its campaign by scoring a thumping win over Uganda. However, New Zealand is a far more formidable opponent.

Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz got the team off to a flying start in the last match as they put together 154 runs for the opening wicket. The duo is one of the most explosive pairs in the tournament but unlike other teams, they do not have a strong lineup to follow.

Afghanistan's biggest weakness lies in its middle order. The form of Mohammad Nabi, Najibullah Zadran, and Gulbadin Naib hasn’t been consistent in recent times. While there are a couple of all-rounders in the form of Karim Janat and Azmatullah Omarzai, they cannot be expected to play a long inning.

Fazalhaq Farooqi bowled a searing spell with the new ball, picking up a fifer. He will be supported by Naveen Ul-Haq at the other end. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan will lead the spin department. Afghanistan has a very potent bowling unit, especially in conditions where the spinners get some help. 

This is where we believe Afghanistan can be very dangerous and pull off a few surprises. It just needs to get to a competitive total in each match. 

Afghanistan Expected Playing 11

NZ vs AFG Toss Prediction

The team winning the toss will likely opt to bowl first

Pitch and Conditions

The pitch at Guyana isn’t the easiest to bat on. There is plenty of help on offer, both for the seamers as well as the spinners. The ball nips around when it is new, where there is plenty of turn as the ball gets a bit old.

The batsmen will need to select their shots carefully. A score of about 160 will be challenging to chase.

The weather will be warm and humid and we can expect showers throughout the day. 

NZ vs AFG Betting Tips

While Afghanistan played excellent cricket in the last match, they face a much more challenging task here. The Black Caps are a quality team with a well-balanced squad that is up to any challenge thrown its way. The advantage that it has in the batting department should help it get a victory here. 

Bet on New Zealand to win.