New Zealand will lock horns against Afghanistan in the 14th match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 at the Providence Stadium, Guyana on Saturday. The Kiwis have shown that they can always punch above their weight and they have been a consistent unit in major ICC events.
Kane Williamson will look to lead from the front and deliver for the Blackcaps. Devon Conway has recovered from his injury and his return is a big boost for the team. The Kiwis have a quality team and they can tick all the right boxes in all three departments of the game.
Players like Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen, Daryl Mitchell, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Matt Henry will hold the key for the Kiwis. The likes of Daryl Mitchell and Trent Boult were in good form in the IPL and they will aim to continue the good show.
On the other hand, Afghanistan registered a massive 125-run win against Uganda in their opening game. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran scored 76 and 70 runs respectively to post 154 runs for the opening alliance. Furthermore, Fazalhaq Farooqi returned with impressive figures of 5-9 in his quota of four overs to help his team skittle out the opposition at 58.
Moreover, Naveen-ul-Haq and captain Rashid Khan also bagged two wickets each against the Cricket Cranes.
Match Prediction: New Zealand will enter the contest as favorites against Afghanistan.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik.
