NZ vs AFG Match Prediction
At the ICC World Cup 2023, Afghanistan has finally arrived, and what an entrance! They decisively defeated defending champions England in Delhi, earning their first victory of the competition. Afghanistan has moved up to sixth place in the standings thanks to its victory. On October 18, they will face a more difficult opponent when they play New Zealand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. With six points from three games and a net run rate of 1.604, the Kiwis have yet to lose and are comfortably in second place on the standings.
SQUAD PREVIEW
New Zealand Preview
This ODI World Cup appears to be a quest for New Zealand. They have three victories in a row and have appeared to be a cohesive unit. They have easily defeated Bangladesh, the Netherlands, and England and would like to keep up their winning ways.
For the team, opener Devon Conway has been in great form. In three games, he has scored 229 runs with a strike rate of 104 and an average of 114. We anticipate Conway to have another significant performance in this match because of his extensive experience playing on this surface with the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
Daryl Mitchell is another batter to watch out for. With 333 runs in 7 matches at an average of 83.25, he has been one of New Zealand’s most productive middle-order batsmen in recent memory. In New Zealand’s previous game, which happened to be against Bangladesh and was played at the Chidambaram Stadium, Mitchell hammered a fantastic unbeaten 89 off 67 balls in a chase of 246.
Although Tom Latham and Glenn Phillips haven’t had much success thus far in the competition, we believe one of them will have a spectacular performance here.
Matt Henry has been an admirable leader for New Zealand’s bowling unit (8 wickets in 3 games at an economy of 4.23). But Mitchell Santner is the only bowler who can have an impact on this surface. The left-arm spinner, who has already claimed 8 wickets, will undoubtedly cause havoc for the Afghan batting here.
Watch out for Lockie Ferguson as well. On the same surface the other day, the fast bowler destroyed Bangladesh’s batting lineup by taking three wickets, and he very well might do the same to Afghanistan.
New Zealand Predicted XI:
Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell,
Afghanistan Preview
The biggest upset of all time was just pulled off by Afghanistan. As they easily defeated the current world champions, England, by 69 runs in a superb exhibition of spin and seam bowling under the lights in Delhi, they achieved their most famous triumph in the annals of international sport and pulled off the first significant upset of the 2023 World Cup.
The bold power-hitting of 21-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who blasted his way to 80 runs off 57 deliveries, lay the groundwork for their supremacy. Ikram Alikhil later led Afghanistan’s lower order with an important half-century in his first World Cup game of the year, helping the team to an impressive total of 284.
Gurbaz should be avoided at all costs. He has scored 478 runs, averaging 47.8, in his last ten games, and he’ll want to keep it up here.
Ibrahim Zadran, who hasn’t really shined in the competition thus far, is also held in high regard. He has had a successful year in 50-over cricket, though, hitting 550 runs at an average of 42.30 in 14 innings. So, we anticipate a major knock on the door. Perhaps he might enjoy this game.
The spinners from Afghanistan will thrive on this pitch. The three of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi will be very helpful in this situation because of the sluggish turn and bounce. In the prior match against England, which was also played on a similar surface, the three split 8 wickets between them. Thus, we anticipate that all three will play a significant role in this match as well.
Afghanistan Predicted XI:
Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk),
THE PITCH AND THE WEATHER
Weather Conditions
The MA Chidambaram Stadium pitch offers something to bowlers throughout, especially spinners. The early half of the first inning is when hitting will be considerably easy. However, once the pitch starts to lose some of its effectiveness, spinners will start to be used, making it more difficult for hitters to score easily. Fast bowlers will get their opportunity in the first ten or so overs of the second innings because the ball travels around a lot here under the lights. However, once the dew has settled, the ball will come on smoothly to the bat and batting will become more enjoyable.
Chennai will see primarily warm and muggy weather.
Venue Details
The teams batting first have produced totals of 199 and 245-9 in the two matches that have been played at Chennai throughout the tournament. After surviving the first few overs, the pursuing teams finished off the objective. If the pitch stays the same, this could end up being another low-scoring game. A winning goal of between 270 and 280 might be possible.
Toss: To Bowl
The side batting second has won both World Cup games at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The toss-winning team will almost certainly field first as a result.
Winning Prediction
New Zealand will Win this Match
After that spectacular victory over England, Afghanistan will be in a celebratory mood. Can they win two straight, though? The challenge in New Zealand will be different. The Black Caps are operating like a well-oiled machine and are not easily rattled. They also play spin considerably better than the English do. Therefore, even though Afghanistan’s spinners will benefit from the pitch, New Zealand’s hitters won’t likely fall apart as quickly. Somebody or other will get to their feet. Afghanistan could spring another surprise if they bat first and put up another roughly 270-point total on the board.
