New Zealand
Afghanistan
In the 16th match of the ODI World Cup, New Zealand will come face to face against Afghanistan at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. Both teams have met twice in the ODI set up and both times, Afghanistan has come out victorious.
Since the beginning of the tournament, New Zealand has been completely focused on dominating each and every game. With 3 wins and a net run rate of +1.604, Kiwis are currently at the 2nd spot in the point table.
Things have taken an interesting turn for Afghanistan after their win over England in the previous fixture. They are currently in the 6th spot with one win and a net run rate of -0.652. The top bookmakers in India have great World Cup odds with them.
The Team batting first is expected to score between 200-250 runs. In the past two fixtures played in Chennai, the team batting first scored 199 & 245.
The betting tip is...
Team batting first to score 200+
75 %
25 %
New ZealandAfghanistanNew Zealand is coming to play their fourth fixture after scoring another dominating win in their previous fixture against Bangladesh. It was a day where bowlers played an important role in giving an edge to the team from the beginning.
Bowling first, Lockie Ferguson came out on top by scalping 3 wickets at an economy of 4.90 in 10 overs. Trent Boult and Matt Henry picked up two wickets each and gave good momentum to the team.
On the batting front, Devon Conway (45 off 59) gave a balanced start to the team but it was the partnership between skipper Kane Williamson (78 off 107) and Daryl Mitchell (89 off 67) that made headlines. It was a comfortable win for the Kiwi’s side and they will be confident enough to continue the momentum in the fourth fixture as well.
Unfortunately, Kane Williamson has injured himself again and this time it is his thumb fracture. He won’t be part of the upcoming game against Afghanistan.
Predicted Lineup: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
It was one of the biggest upsets that Afghanistan provided in their previous match against England. A stunning performance that led to a dominating win for Afghanistan.
Batting first, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (80 off 57) gave a good start to the team with a strike rate of 140.35. In the middle order, Ikram Alikhil (58 off 66) also gave a major push to the overall score.
On the bowling front, Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rehman were exceptional with their bowl as both picked up 3 wickets at an economy of 3.89 and 5.10 respectively. Mohammad Nabi also contributed with 2 wickets in 6 overs at an economy of 2.67.
Rashid Khan will be a key player for Afghanistan as he has been in exceptional form with the ball. The spin maestro has picked up 14 wickets in 11 ODIs in 2023 at an average of 34.14.
Chepauk is a spin-friendly pitch and hence Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Mohammad Nabi will play an important role for Afghanistan.
Predicted Lineup: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Afghanistan will be high on confidence with their win over England in the previous game.
However, New Zealand is a different opposition altogether. They have a good batting depth with pacers in positive form. Afghanistan will get the benefit of the pitch because of a better spin attack but we predict a win for New Zealand on Wednesday.
