FANTASY PREVIEW
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New Zealand - L W W L L
Afghanistan - W W W L W
Head to Head
New Zealand and Afghanistan have played one T20I against each other in T20 World Cup 2021, where New Zealand emerged victorious.
Venue details
Guyana National Stadium, Guyana
Average first-inning total - 150. Since last year, it has been 164.
Bat 1st/2nd split: Teams chasing have won nine out of 14 games
Pace vs Spin split: Economy 8.5 vs 7, Strike rate 18.7 vs 20.2 since 2023
Weather Conditions
Rain is forecasted for the game during the evening, and the chances are high that it will be a shortened game.
Players to watch out for
Williamson comes into this tournament with only two T20Is since 2023 and only four T20s overall. The last time he had a 120+ strike rate in a calendar year was 2020. Hence there will be big questions over his form for the game. However, on a sluggish track, you need your best batter to bat the tough overs. The Kiwis will hope that Williamson will be able to do that without any major qualms.
Allen is the X-factor that can boost the side’s prospects in the World Cup. In the 2022 edition, he scored at a strike rate of 186.3 despite averaging just 19. His quick starts would again be key for New Zealand as he bats along with Devon Conway and Kane Williamson who are not the quickest of batters.
With an overall T20 strike rate of 131.4, he is one of the best strikers of the ball in the Afghanistan side. This year, he is striking at 159.03 in the five T20Is he played for Afghanistan this year, which includes two quick fifties against India in January.
He also has a career bowling economy of 8.19, and his wily slow medium pace can be more than useful in the Carribean as he can sneak in a few quiet overs in the middle overs by enticing batters to go against him.
Key battles
Daryl Mitchell vs Rashid Khan
Mitchell is know for his hitting abilities against spinners who turn the ball away from him. Amongst the Afghan spinners, Rashid is the only one to do that. The Kiwi batter has scored 25 runs in 12 balls against him at a strike rate of 208.3 in T20Is.
Cricket.com’s suggested Fantasy XI
Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell (vc), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Devon Conway, Ibrahim Zadran, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, James Neesham, Karim Janat, Trent Boult, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Probable Playing XI
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Finn Allen (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman, Noor Ahmed, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Streaming and Telecast details
The match will begin at 5:00 AM IST, and will be steamed and telecasted on Star Sports and Disney plus Hotstar respectively.
