Afghanistan, who recently defeated England, will be looking to create another upset when they face off against New Zealand in match 16 of the Cricket World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 18.
New Zealand are undefeated in the tournament so far, having won all their three matches. In their most recent game, the Kiwis defeated Bangladesh by eight wickets. Both their batting and bowling has looked good so far in the tournament. Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra are their two top performers with the bat. Kane Williamson, who played his first game of the tournament against Bangladesh, ended up hurting his thumb and was retired out while closing in on a century. Unfortunately, Williamson has injured his thumb and won’t take part in any matches for at least three weeks.
Afghanistan, meanwhile, will be confident after defeating England in their previous match. Batting first, Afghanistan posted 284 runs on the board, thanks to half centuries from Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil. In reply, England could manage only 215.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan picked up five wickets between themselves. This victory will give them the belief that they can win more matches in the tournament.
Ahead of Match 16 of the Cricket World Cup 2023, here is everything you need to know.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan Injury Update
New Zealand, who were joined by Kane Williamson for the game against Bangladesh, will be without the batsman for at least the next three weeks as he has fractured his thumb. Tom Latham will resume captaincy in Williamson’s absence. Afghanistan, meanwhile, are expected to remain unchanged.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan predicted XI
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c/wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
New Zealand vs Afghanistan Match Details
Match: New Zealand vs Afghanistan
Date & Time: October 17, 2.00 PM IST
Venue: M Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
New Zealand vs Afghanistan Fantasy Team
Wicketkeepers – Devon Conway, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Tom Latham
Batsmen – Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Ibrahim Zadran
All-rounders – Mitchell Santner, Rachin Ravindra
Bowlers – Matt Henry, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Captain – Devon Conway
Vice captain – Rashid Khan
New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Chennai Weather and Pitch Report
The Chennai pitch is known to assist the spin bowlers. The Indian spinners did well against Australia at this venue. Anything above 300 will be a competitive total on this ground.
The weather in Chennai will be sunny and humid. The temperature will be around 33 degrees Celsius.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan, 2023 World Cup Broadcast details
The match between New Zealand and Afghanistan will be live on the Star Sports network as far as TV is concerned.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan Live Streaming
Disney + Hotstar has picked up streaming rights of the New Zealand vs Afghanistan match. The toss will take place at 2.00 PM IST.
New Zealand vs Afghanistan ODI matches Head-to-Head
| Matches Played | 2 |
| Matches won by New Zealand | 2 |
| Matches won by Afghanistan | 0 |
| No Result | 0 |
| Matches Tied | 0 |
New Zealand vs Afghanistan match prediction
New Zealand have been unstoppable in the tournament so far, and it remains to be seen if Afghanistan can once again do what they did against England, and break New Zealand’s winning streak. They have three good spinners who can keep the New Zealand batsmen in check at the spin-friendly Chepauk.
