World Cup 2019: Afghanistan vs New Zealand - Match Preview

Afghanistan and New Zealand are set to resume their World Cup campaign at a new venue, The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton in the 13th encounter of the World Cup 2019. Afghanistan will be eager to register their first win in this campaign while New Zealand look in the right frame of mind after two consecutive victories.

On one hand, the Afghanistan squad has played some high-quality cricket over the last few years and has progressed leaps and bounds in international cricket. On their day, the Asian outfit have the potential to beat any side in the limited overs cricket with some quality cricketers such as Hazratullah Zazai, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, who can produce the moment of brilliance on the field.

Against Sri Lanka, the Afghanistan bowlers did extremely well to restrict the batsmen to just 201 runs but the Afghanistan batsmen, despite getting starts failed to get the team across the line. The Gulbadin Naib-led side would be hoping for a better batting display against the lethal Kiwi bowling attack and pile some pressure on the favorites.

On the other hand, New Zealand have been the most consistent team under the leadership of Kane Williamson. Having announced their authority in this World Cup with two back-to-back wins, the Blackcaps look a formidable side in this tournament.

After a massive 10-wicket win against Sri Lanka followed by a nail-biting two-wicket win against Bangladesh, they will be looking to continue their positive run with a win against Afganistan.

With the right combination of youth and experience in the squad, the Kiwis will be expected to clinch a win against Afghanistan and maintain their winning run in the competition.

Match Details

Date: Saturday, 8th June 2019

Time: 06:00 PM IST

Venue: The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton

League: ICC World Cup 2019

Live Telecast: Star Network

Online Streaming: Hotstar

Venue Stats

Avg 1st Innings score: 219

Avg 2nd Innings score: 194

Highest Total: 373/6 (50 Ov) by India vs Sri Lanka

Lowest Total: 101/10 (40.3 Ov) by Sri Lanka Women vs South Africa Women

Highest Chased: 231/5 (41 Ov) by Zimbabwe v Kenya

Lowest Defended: 269/10 (48.3 Ov) by Australia Women v South Africa Women

Team News

Afghanistan

• Shahzad has been ruled out for the remaining of the tournament.
• 18-year-old Ikram Ali Khil will replace him in the starting lineup.

New Zealand

• The Blackcaps are expected to go ahead with an unchanged lineup.

Squads

Afghanistan

Gulbadin Naib (C), Hamid Hassan, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Nabi, Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Shahzad, Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, and Mujeeb Ur Rahman

New Zealand

Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor

Key Players

Afghanistan

• Md. Nabi
• Gulbadin Naib
• Rashid Khan

New Zealand

• Kane Williamson
• Ross Taylor
• Trent Boult