These two teams have faced sharply contrasting fortunes so far in the World Cup. New Zealand is at the top of the table with two wins in as many games, while their opponents are at rock bottom with two losses out of two. The match will be played at The Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton on 8th June 2019. The contest will be live from 6:00 pm IST.
Afghanistan is one of just two teams that haven’t yet registered a win in the competition. Afghanistan has also been hit with an injury blow, as Mohammad Shahzad has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a knee issue. The team has to put their best efforts against New Zealand to beat them. Hazratullah Zazai needs to convert small starts to big innings as Shahzad is ruled out. Nabi was great with the bowl the last match. Rashid Khan also got 2 wickets. Rahmat Shah needs to score some runs in the middle order for the team to do well.
Player To Watch Out For – Mohammad Nabi
The Kiwis registered a narrow victory over Bangladesh in their last match. New Zealand has been brilliant in the tournament so far and will have to win the match to be on the top of the table. Matt Henry was good with the bowl who got 4 wickets and bowled with the economy of 5. Trent Boult also got 2 wickets. Ross Taylor was tremendous with the bat who scored 82 runs off 91 balls to seal player of the match. The team will not be looking to make any changes to their winning combination.
Player To Watch Out For – Kane Williamson
Pitch Report
The Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton is back to hosting international matches after a long break; The venue has been assisting the batsmen in recent domestic matches and is expected to remain the same for this match.
Probable Line Ups
Afghanistan – Hazratullah Zazai, Asgar Afghan, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Hamid Hassan, Dawlat Zadran, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
New Zealand – Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.
PlayerzPot XI
PlayerzPot Prediction
New Zealand will easily seal this match as the team has been wonderful in the tournament so far. Afghanistan needs to put their best game to give a challenge to Kiwis.
