If Afghanistan have not yet realized the value of a high NRR, they will surely do so towards the terminus of the group stage. The colossal 125-run win against Uganda steered them to the top of the table. But worries have not completely left them. They are slated to face the team that has been the most successful in ICC events in the last decade; New Zealand. Since 2015, there have been six white ball ICC tournaments and the black caps have managed to reach at least the semi-finals in all. That, in a nutshell, is the state of New Zealand team. Reaching the knockout stages (and most of the time ending at the top) but still failing to get hold of even a single ICC Trophy. They would not want to continue displaying the ‘chokers’ label any longer but to run that last mile would require something special from their end.
Afghanistan has started the tourney in the dreamiest possible way. And why would they not want to continue it the same way? Their spin attack has the potential to hoodwink even the best in the business and at the Providence stadium, they would fancy exploiting the devils in the pitch. Besides getting a couple of points, the Afghan team would be happy to see their openers coming to the fore. It was a sight that they would like to get used to.
Team Overview:
New Zealand is in a group where, if all goes well, they have a pretty straightforward way towards the Super 8s. Their team has its own positives and cons. The biggest positive is their bowling lineup. Trent Boult, Matt Henry, and Lockie Ferguson have been doing the job really well for their team, though Ferguson tends to get a little wayward at times. Besides the pacers, they have plenty of spin all-rounders who can roll their arms over decently. Mitch Santner would be leading the pack and he is a spinner to be very scared of. Ish Sodhi might be an expensive option to go with but he is a wicket-taker, so even that is a plus. One thing that can sting them is the dearth of players who can hit the ball at command. Leaving Finn Alenn out, the remaining players can’t hit at a quick rate. The black caps might miss Tim Seifert, who was shockingly left out of the squad if this actually turns out to be a regrettable action.
Afghanistan knows how to do one thing and they have mastered that one thing fully. It’s spin bowling. The success they have accumulated so far rides mainly on their spinners. Their batters though need to do better in order to complement the tweakers, especially up the order. In the recent game, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran looked to be at their best and undoubtedly their performance would matter a lot to Afghanistan.
Head-to-Head Matches:
New Zealand and Afghanistan have only met once in a T20I fixture. New Zealand was the winning team in that match which took place during the 2021 edition of the T20 World Cup.
Weather and Pitch Report:
We might lose some overs to rain (and at worst could lose the whole game too) as Guyana is expected to receive rain during the match time. The pitch will be slow like always with variable bounce that would make life difficult for batters as judging the ball after pitching would not be an easy task. Pacers would get swing during the start so choosing to bowl first would be a wise decision. Spinners can be expected to run riot here as was seen during the previous matches played here.
Prediction
It would not be an easy task for New Zealand to subdue Afghanistan with their lethal spin attack on a rank turner like the one at the Providence Stadium. They would triumph over the Afghan team, however difficult it may be.
Where to Watch:
You can watch the games on the following platforms as per your region:
- India – Star Sports
- Pakistan – PTV Sports, Ten Sports, Myco (Live streaming) and Tamasha app (Live streaming)
- USA and Canada – Willow TV
- England – Sky Sports Network
- Caribbean – ESPN Caribbean
- New Zealand & Australia – Sky Sports NZ, Prime Video
- Other regions – SuperSport, Sirasa, CricLife, STARZPLAY
