ICC World Cup 2019 Match 13, New Zealand vs Afghanistan: Preview, likely XIs, predictions

With two wins in two matches and an excellent net run rate (+2.279), New Zealand are at the top of the ICC World Cup 2019 points table. Afghanistan, on the other hand, languish at the bottom (defeats in both matches, net run rate -1.264).

Match 13 of the tournament, thus, may turn out to be a mismatch. There is, however, a catch: the match will be played on the tiny County Ground of Taunton, an arena batsmen have traditionally cleared at ease even in the pre-Superbat era.

Taunton has not hosted an international match in the past twenty years, but runs have flowed here in domestic cricket. And as the Afghans showed in the Australia match (they were bowled out for 207 in 38.2 overs after they adopted a six-or-out strategy), big hitting is something that comes naturally to them.

They will miss the burly Mohammad Shahzad, who could have been a game-changer on the small ground. His replacement, the teenage Ikram Ali Khil, is wonderful behind the stumps but not a bludgeoner. Will they play an extra batsman and get Rahmat Shah to keep wickets? Will Gulbadin Naib and Najibullah Zadran bat up the order? Will Hamid Hassan make way for Aftab Alam? Let us see.

New Zealand have their XI sorted, though Tim Southee might have felt left out. Their top four have got runs, and despite their semi-collapse against Bangladesh, they seem more or less sorted at this stage.

Head to head

The two teams have met only once across formats, back in the 2015 World Cup, at Napier, a match New Zealand won by 6 wickets with 83 balls in hand.

Najibullah (56) and Samiullah Shenwari (54) had taken Afghanistan to 186 as Daniel Vettori took 4/18 and Trent Boult 3/34. Afghanistan did their best to claw back after Martin Guptill (57 in 76) and Brendon McCullum (42 in 19) added 53 in 35 balls, but they were no match for New Zealand.

Key players

Matt Henry (New Zealand): Henry’s 7 wickets (3/29 including the first 3 and 4/47) are the most in the tournament so far. Moving the ball around at a brisk pace, Henry helped rout both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh – and will certainly be at it if conditions help him here, especially under lights.

Najibullah Zadran (Afghanistan): Not only has Najibullah scored runs in this tournament, he has also got them at a rapid pace. He emerged at 77/5 against Australia and top-scored with a 49-ball 51. Against Sri Lanka he top-scored again, this time with a 56-ball 43, coming to bat at 57/5.

Likely XIs

New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Jimmy Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib (c), Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Ali Khil (wk), Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Prediction

New Zealand to win comfortably.