NZ vs AFG Highlights: New Zealand completed a clinical win over Afghanistan as the Asian side totally surrendered on a tricky track in Chennai. Earlier, Glenn Phillips and Tom Lathan fifties and poor fielding from Afghanistan have helped New Zealand post 288 after sent to bat in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 game at Chepauk. Will Young (54) and Rachin Ravindra (32) were going nicely when Azmatullah Omarzai struck twice to push the Kiwis on the backfoot. However, Phillips along with Tom Latham combined to push New Zealand towards a competitive total.
The victory by Afghanistan over England rekindled interest in the 2023 Cricket World Cup. In addition to upending the standings, Afghanistan has demonstrated that, on a good day, they are capable of defeating any team in the competition.
Afghanistan will find solace in the fact that they didn’t depend on a single player to shine for them in their first ODI victory since July 2023.
The top order was led by Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ikram Alikhil battled valiantly in the middle overs, and players like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman made significant all-around contributions.
New Zealand isn’t a team that will give up lightly, though. The Black Caps have enjoyed an outstanding run in the competition despite suffering yet another setback in the shape of losing Kane Williamson to a finger fracture during their match against Bangladesh.
Their three victories have all been by huge margins, and the most of their players have been in excellent form.
Teams:
New Zealand (Playing XI): Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(w/c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Afghanistan (Playing XI): Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil(w), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Match Details
- New Zealand vs Afghanistan, Match 16, ICC World Cup 2023
- Date & Time: Wednesday, October 18, 2 PM IST
- Venue: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
NZ vs AFG: Probable Playing XIs
The New Zealand middle-order is under more pressure to perform now that Williamson’s departure from the tournament’s next three games has been confirmed.
Daryl Mitchell is a reliable middle-order performer for the Kiwis, averaging 50.52 in ODIs. He entered the World Cup after having a successful run in England (196 runs at 65.33), and he has performed well thus far.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c, wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson.
Mujeeb contributed significantly to Afghanistan’s unexpected victory over England by making a great cameo with the bat in the lower order and then taking three crucial wickets. The England pursuit was halted by two of these, which came in the middle overs.
Because of his skill at bowling across innings and his versatility, Mujeeb will undoubtedly be counted on to contribute significantly in NZ vs AFG as well. His off-spin can be really useful if the wicket turns out to be on the slightly sluggish side.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Rashid Khan, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq.
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