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Afghanistan and New Zealand will lock horns in the 13th match of the ICC World Cup 2019 at Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton on 8th June. New Zealand has had a perfect start to the World Cup as they have won both their matches in the ODI showpiece. The Kiwis have checked the right boxes in their first two matches and would like to continue their good form going. We take a look at Match Prediction.

New Zealand had convincingly won their first match against Sri Lanka. However, the Kiwis will aim to get more consistent with their middle order. They should have finished the match against Bangladesh easily, however, they had nervous moments in the fag end of the match when they lost four wickets quickly.

Read More: ICC World Cup 2019: Afghanistan vs New Zealand – Match Prediction

ICC World Cup 2019: Afghanistan vs New Zealand - Match Preview, Predicted XI, Pitch, Weather, Stats
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New Zealand will start as favourites.

On the other hand, Afghanistan has disappointed with their batting performance. They had Sri Lanka on the ropes when they skittled them for a paltry score of 201 runs. Mohammed Nabi had scalped four wickets and had bowled wicket to wicket to trouble the Sri Lankan batters.

However, Afghanistan’s batting had once again let them down. In fact, their batsmen will need to play with more responsibility. The batters are going for more aggressive shots early on in their innings and the team management would need to have a word with their batsmen. Moreover, Afghanistan’s woes have manifolded as their wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Shahzad has been ruled out with knee injury.

ICC World Cup 2019: Afghanistan vs New Zealand - Match Preview, Predicted XI, Pitch, Weather, Stats
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Meanwhile, New Zealand’s bowling has been right on the money. Matt Henry had once again bowled with fire and has scalped seven wickets in the tournament. Furthermore, Trent Boult and Lockie Ferguson have hit the straps with their accurate bowling.

Read More: ICC World Cup 2019: Match 12, England vs Bangladesh – Bangladesh’s Predicted Playing XI

Date and Venue: 8th June, Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton.

Match Prediction: There is no iota of doubt that New Zealand will begin the contest as red hot favourites. However, Afghanistan has the skills to surprise them. But the Afghan team will need to pull up their game especially in the batting department.

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

Afghanistan’s Predicted Playing XI: Ikram Alikhil, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hasmatullah Shahidi, Mohammed Nabi, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib(c), Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Pitch Report: It would be the first match at Cooper Associates County Ground, Taunton. Thus, it would be interesting to note how the pitch would play. In fact, the pitch is expected to be a good surface for both batting and bowling.

Weather Report:

It is going to be a partly cloudy day in Taunton. In fact, rain is expected to stay clear from the action.

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