Expected Lineups | Pitch & Weather Conditions | New Zealand vs Afghanistan Match Preview

Expected Lineups | Pitch & Weather Conditions | New Zealand vs Afghanistan Match Preview:

Contents

HEAD TO HEAD: WEATHER AND PITCH CONDITIONS:PLAYING XI (PROBABLE):PREDICTION:WHERE TO WATCH:

Two fixtures in a day are due to be staged in the mighty Melbourne Cricket Ground on 26th. The second fixture of the day will be played between New Zealand and Afghanistan. Both teams have played one match and this encounter will be their second of the tourney.

Afghanistan bowling unit gave England a tough time in their opener in Perth, where the English team chased the paltry target of 113 in 18 overs. The match, really, was a close call. Although the Afghan bowlers could not guide their side home, they still have the confidence they gained by making a team, as lethal as England, struggle. This boost of confidence can help them in their upcoming fixtures to play more attacking cricket, which again is a necessity if they want to stay on course.

The ginormous victory of 89 runs over the defending champions, Australia, has, undoubtedly, bolstered the morale of the Kiwis. Sitting at the top of the table, the Williamson-led men will have an eye for adding another victory to their name. The win over their trans-Tasman rivals is what they needed after losing on their home soil, the triangular series from Pakistan.

HEAD TO HEAD:

Afghanistan and New Zealand have met each other only once in the field for playing T20I. This happened in the previous T20 World cup, when New Zealand sealed an eight wicket win over Nabi-led men.

WEATHER AND PITCH CONDITIONS:

Heavy rainfall, around 3 to 8mm, is expected in Melbourne on 26th October. What makes the forecast woeful for the playing teams is that the rain is more likely to fall in the afternoon and evening, the time when the match is scheduled to be. There is around a 70-80% chance of rain.

From what we have seen during the high octane clash between Pakistan and India, the bowlers were getting ample swing and bounce which is exciting news for the pacers. However, it is followed by bad news for spinners too. The pitch did not look as drier as it had been before, even after a few overs had passed, which implies that spinners will have a hard time bowling at the MCG.

For batters too, the unexpected appearance of green on the MCG pitch is not something to rejoice at. However, the batsmen can wait for the ball to get old to use the quick outfield of the G to assist them in hitting boundaries to set up a big total.

PLAYING XI (PROBABLE):

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell/Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Tim Southee/Adam Milne, Lockie Ferguson.

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Rashid Khan, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq/Fareed Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

PREDICTION:

With the bounce, swing and seam the Melbourne Cricket Ground is expected to offer, it is without any ambiguity that the black caps are favourites for the match tomorrow.

Their pace unit including Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson will have their eyes on the prize at the MCG. Apart from that, the Kiwis look in a great touch and they will do anything to not lose their momentum before their outing against England.

Also, the toss will again play a very crucial role in this fixture. Fans and all four teams who are scheduled to play in Melbourne on 26th October are hoping that the rain does not end up as the killjoy in what is going to be an exciting match between the two aforementioned sides.