New Zealand vs Afghanistan: World Cup 2023 Can Afghanistan Cause Another Upset?

New Zealand vs Afghanistan: At the ICC World Cup 2023, Afghanistan has finally defied the odds! 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.

The 16th ODI match between New Zealand vs Afghanistan will take place on October 18, 2023, at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India.

Match Details to Note

Match: New Zealand vs Afghanistan 16th ODI

Date: October 18th, 2023 (Wednesday)                                                     

Time: 02:00 PM IST

Venue: M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, India.

New Zealand vs Afghanistan

New Zealand (Match Odds- 1.25)

Preview

New Zealand is on a winning streak and it will be very tough for any other team to make them fall. England, Netherlands, and Bangladesh have been defeated by the team in the tournament so far.

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.

Full Squad:

Kane Williamson (c), Tom Latham (vc & wk), Devon Conway (wk), Glenn Phillips (wk), Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Rachin Ravindra, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry.

Mitchell Santner

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.

Possible Playing XI:

Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

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.

Full Squad:

Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq.

Recommended: Sign up at Cricbaba.com to get an exciting Welcome Bonus and start placing bets now!

Players to watch out for:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz

The bold power-hitting of 21-year-old Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who blasted his way to 80 runs off 57 deliveries, laid the groundwork for their supremacy. 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 on New Zealand vs Afghanistan.

Ibrahim Zadran

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 New Zealand vs Afghanistan game.

Possible Playing XI:

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