ICC World Cup 2019 NZ vs AFG: Betting odds

Afghanistan came into the 2019 World Cup hoping to cause major upsets. But in the first two matches, their hopes went for a toss. They were thrashed by Australia by seven wickets in the first match. In the match against Sri Lanka, a team reeling from poor ODI form, Afghanistan's batting faltered. This has let them down several times in the past. The rain-curtailed match presented them a perfect opportunity to register a win, but their batsmen failed to chase a paltry total, courtesy poor shot selection and excellent bowling from Lasith Malinga and Nuwan Pradeep. Against New Zealand, who possess a strong bowling unit, the Afghan batters need to play sensibly if they are to put up a fight.

New Zealand have won both their matches so far. Their bowling, led by Trent Boult and Mitchell Santner, has done a tremendous job in restricting oppositions to below-par scores. Their batting, though, showed weaknesses when tested by Bangladesh. They still depend heavily on Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor to bail them out of precarious situations. The Kiwis need to address this problem in their match against Afghanistan.

Probable XI:

Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (C), Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan and Mujeeb ur Rahman.

New Zealand:Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (wk), Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner and Ross Taylor.

Betting odds: According to oddschecker, Afghanistan 13/2, New Zealand 1/7.