Two Super 12 matches of Group 1 will be played on Wednesday in Melbourne. In the second game, high-on-confidence New Zealand will face the brassed-off Afghanistan in Melbourne.
Kane Williamson’s side started their tournament by humiliating the hosts and tournament favorites, Australia, with a massive 89-run victory in Sydney, courtesy of which their NRR shot up to a whopping +4.450 which could come in handy in the equation later on.
Afghanistan, on the other hand, suffered a 5-wicket defeat at the hands of Jos Buttler’s England side. Afghanistan lost all their 10 wickets to England pacers – Sam Curran becoming the first England men’s cricket to take a five-for in T20 WC – posting a small total of 112, which even though they picked up 5 wickets, England gunned down to claim a win.
Here is the NZ vs AFG predicted XIs
New Zealand predicted XI:
Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman/Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Afghanistan predicted XI:
Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai/Naveen-ul-Haq, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi
NZ vs AFG Pitch report:
Going by the India-Pakistan game, run-scoring will be difficult and challenging in Melbourne in the tournament. The pacers had a ball in the India-Pakistan clash with swing and seam movement, coupled with bounce and pace made it a happy hunting ground for the fast bowlers.
NZ vs AFG Who Will Score Most Number Of Runs?
Finn Allen
Dynamic opener Finn Allen tore apart the Australian famed pace trio of Starc, Hazlewood, and Cummins in the powerplay to smash 42 runs off only 16 deliveries. What if he could have stayed for long? We might find it out when he comes up against a less threatening and less experienced Afghanistan bowling attack whose strength is spin bowling, which doesn’t have any assistance at the MCG.
Even though the conditions are expected to be tougher for batting compared to most other grounds in Australia, we are backing Finn Allen to cause mayhem again and this time carry on for a longer knock.
Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, knowledge, and instinct of the writer. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.
