Kiwis out to bring Afghans back to ground

Chennai, October 17

Afghanistan’s upset win over defending champions England has given the side a new stature and New Zealand wouldn’t dare underestimate Hashmatullah Shahidi’s side when they clash in their World Cup match here tomorrow.

While the Kiwis would look to keep their unbeaten run going in the tournament, Afghanistan, who shocked England by 69 runs, would be keen to create another big upset and put their campaign back on track.

New Zealand are going great guns in the tournament, having won all three matches so far. On the other hand, Afghanistan had an inauspicious start to their campaign, losing to Bangladesh and India before leaving Jos Buttler’s England in a tizzy in New Delhi on Sunday.

New Zealand will again be led by wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham after their charismatic skipper Kane Williamson suffered a fracture on his left thumb during the match against Bangladesh and was ruled out for a few games. Despite the huge setback, the Kiwis would be looking to make it four out of four. It would be interesting to see if pacer Tim Southee finally gets a chance against Afghanistan, having recovered from a thumb injury, though his match fitness has remained an issue.

The Kiwis will rely heavily on their top-order comprising Will Young, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell, while all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, with his impactful performances across departments, will also be the player to watch.

With the meeting happening at the Chepauk, where the pitch has traditionally assisted spinners, New Zealand will have their hands full when they take on the trio of Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Mohammad Nabi. Rashid and Nabi accounted for five England wickets. As for Afghanistan’s batting line-up, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the man in form, having scored fifties in two matches so far, while the likes of skipper Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Ikram Alikhil could come in handy as well.