World Cup 2023, Match 16 | Afghanistan Predicted XI vs New Zealand

image-lnuctj4yAfghanistan will play against New Zealand in the 16th match of the World Cup 2023 (Source: AP Photos)

New Zealand will face Afghanistan in the 16th match of the 2023 World Cup to be staged at the M. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai. The match will commence at 2:00 PM IST on October 18.

Both teams have initiated their campaign in contrasting tone. So far, the Black Caps have dominated the bonanza event. New Zealand has won all three of their games and is currently second in the league table. Their most recent victory came against Bangladesh, where Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell led a comprehensive chase. However, the Kiwis suffered a major setback when their normal captain, Williamson, injured his finger during their previous match.

For more such reads from OneCricket, click here.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan stunned the defending champions, England, by a margin of 69 runs in their latest clash. This was also the team's first victory in the campaign following losses to Bangladesh and India. They are currently sixth in the league standings, with two points from three games.

The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led unit will be oozing out in confidence after their heroic performances in their previous match and it will be interesting to see what combinations they form against New Zealand. So let us have a quick hover on Afghanistan's predicted XI vs New Zealand.


Openers: Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz

Afghanistan have a set opening combination in the form of Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz. The former is a steady batter who can articulate all kinds of orthodox shots perfectly while the latter set the stage on fire after a smoky 80 off 57 balls against England in their latest win.

The pair have done the job at the top of the order for a long time in the white ball format and shall look to give a strong start to Afghanistan.


Middle-Order: Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi and Ikram Alikhil

Rahmat Shah and Hashmatullah Shahidi are the constants for Afghan Atalans in the middle order batting. While Rahmat recently struck century during the Warm-up matches, Shahidi has had his impact with regular fifties against various oppositions. Joining them in the middle order would be Ikram Alikhil who notched up a brilliant half-century against a quality bowling attack as that of England. He replaced Najibullah Zadran in the XI and shall be backed.


All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan and Azmatullah Omarzai

Azmatullah Omarzai struck his second ODI fifty against India very recenly. He can soak up pressure and get the lusty blows when needed. Omarzai the medium pacer is also very important to this Afghan set-up.

Mohammad Nabi and Rashid Khan are the sureshots in the XI. They were brilliant with the ball in the last game, claiming five wickets overall. The spinning all-rounders shall enjoy bowling in the conditions of Chennai where there's grip and turn.


Bowlers: Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi

Afghanistan will match forward into the next game with Naveen-ul-Haq and Fazalhaq Farooqi as their lead pacers. They give the left and right hand combination and both pacers can operate across varied situations of a match. And talk about a third spinner, Mujeeb Ur Rahman will retain his position after stupendous performance with the ball in hand. His bagged a three-fer in the last game and shall look to replicate his heroics.

Afghanistan Predicted XI vs New Zealand

Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi.