New Zealand, Afghanistan clash as whole of India watches

A win for the Kiwis would shut India’s hopes of advancing to the last-four as the result would take it to eight points, putting things beyond the reach of Virat Kohli’s men. If Afghanistan manages to turn the tables on Kane Williamson & Co, it will keep alive its slim chances while boosting that of the Indians (on 4 points currently), who would need to win their last match against Namibia in Dubai on Monday.

New Zealand will head into the match high on confidence after having eased to victory against Namibia in Dubai on Friday. Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips rose to the occasion after the top-order failed to fire, and set up a challenging total which proved too much for the Namibian batters.

The Kiwi bowlers’ experience and skills have been on show in the tournament and they would pose problems for their opponent. The Afghanistan batters have come up with decent performances, which have helped the spin-heavy bowling unit go about their job with confidence. But, they will have their task cut out against an attack that includes pacers Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Adam Milne, apart from the spin duo of Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner.

If the Afghan batters can put up a sizeable score, then the bowling unit, with leg-spinner Rashid Khan at the forefront, could be more than a handful. The absence of Mujeeb-ur-Rahman owing to injury could weaken the bowling department but given the Kiwi batters’ struggles against spin, a huge task awaits them. It remains to be seen if Mujeeb, who missed the team’s last two matches, is available for selection.

How the New Zealand batters handle the middle overs when Rashid would be in operation would have a huge say on how the match pans out. A good start by Martin Guptill and Daryl Mitchell could prove crucial as would Williamson’s contribution. Though New Zealand and Afghanistan battle it out in Abu Dhabi, the India team in Dubai and its fans would be praying that the fellow Asian nation does it a favour by scripting a memorable victory.