New Zealand play Afghanistan in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 on Wednesday, October 26, 2022, at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. The match starts at 1:30 PM IST (Indian Standard Time).
The New Zealand cricket team got off to a riveting start in the T20 World Cup 2022, beating the hosts, Australia, by 89 runs. Devon Conway dominated with the bat, scoring 92 runs off 58 balls, before the Kiwi bowlers led to the Australian downfall. New Zealand were the runners-up in the 2021 edition of the tournament. Overall, the Blackcaps have won four of their last five T20 Internationals.
On the other hand, the Afghanistan cricket team have lost four of the last five matches in this format, including a five-wicket defeat to England in their opening Super 12 match of the T20 World Cup 2022. The Afghan side were knocked out in the Super 4s of the Asia Cup 2022, following a 101-run defeat to India in September.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022
Gullybet odds: New Zealand: 1.23, Afghanistan: 5.60
Betwinner odds: New Zealand: 1.20, Afghanistan: 4.50
Melbet odds: New Zealand: 1.20, Afghanistan: 4.50
Parimatch odds: New Zealand: 1.18, Afghanistan: 4.70
Note: Odds are subject to change. Please visit betting sites to check and confirm the latest odds.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan head-to-head in T20Is
Afghanistan and New Zealand have gone up against each other only once in T20 Internationals. In the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021, Afghanistan posted 124 runs on the scoreboard, which the Kiwi batters chased down with 11 balls and eight wickets to spare.
New Zealand have also won the two ODIs played against Afghanistan.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 squads
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
Afghanistan: Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Darwish Rasooli, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Saleem, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Najibullah Zadran, Naveen-ul-Haq, Qais Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Rashid Khan, Usman Ghani.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan probable playing XI
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Kane Williamson (captain), Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 combined fantasy XI
Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wicketkeeper), Kane Williamson (captain), Ibrahim Zadran, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Tim Southee, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult.
New Zealand’s top picks vs Afghanistan in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022
Devon Conway: The Johannesburg-born left-handed batter was in sublime form against Australia in the opening Super 12 game, batting through the innings to score 92 runs off 58 balls. Conway has accumulated 431 runs in his last nine T20Is, averaging 71.83 with a strike-rate of 131.80. Conway’s ability to tackle spin will be crucial for New Zealand against the potent Afghan spinners.
Trent Boult: In the only previous New Zealand vs Afghanistan game in this format, Trent Boult bowled a match-winning spell, picking up three wickets in four overs while conceding just 17 runs. The 33-year-old left-arm pacer has a healthy economy rate of 7.87 in this format and is effective in the powerplay as well as the death overs.
Afghanistan’s top picks vs New Zealand in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022
Rashid Khan: The star Afghanistan leg-spinner is third on the list of most wickets in T20 Internationals with 119 wickets in 72 matches. Rashid bowled an economical spell against England in the previous T20 World Cup match, conceding only 17 runs, while picking up a wicket. He also has the ability to tonk the ball beyond the boundary while batting in the death overs.
Ibrahim Zadran: With 244 runs in the last 10 T20Is, Ibrahim Zadran is the most in-form batter for Afghanistan ahead of this key clash against New Zealand. Zadran scored a run-a-ball 32 against England and top-scored in the game for his side. The 20-year-old batter has an average of 30.27 after 14 matches in this format.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022 prediction
New Zealand will be buoyant after their first win against Australia in Australia after 11 years. The Kiwis beat the Afghan side in the previous edition of the T20 World Cup in the Super 12 and considering their current form, New Zealand are the favourites in the upcoming encounter.
Afghanistan have a few world-class players in their ranks, however, their form has lately been underwhelming. The spin duo of Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are capable of causing a few problems for the Blackcaps at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan playing conditions for ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022
Maximum Temperature: 20°C
Precipitation: 61%
Humidity: 94%
Wind: 14 km/h
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