ICC World Cup 2019 NZ vs AFG: Preview

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.

Match time: 3:00 PM (IST)

Where to watch:

Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 HD Hindi, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada, Star Sports 1 Bangla.

Pitch report: Team batting first is expected to score above 300 in the County ground, Taunton. The pitch can deteriorate the match progresses, so chasing can be tricky in this ground.

Weather report: Fans will praying to rain God today for a full 50 over match as there is forecast of drizzle. Though it will be bright and sunny in the later part of the match, and the temparature will hover around 10-14 degrees celcius.

Team news: New Zealand can bring Ish Sodhi into their team, but at the expense of whom is the question. Afghanistan wicketkeeper Mohammad Shahzad has been ruled out of the tournament after he aggravated a knee injury. Ikram Ali Khil, 18, a top order batsman, has been roped in as his replacement.

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.