World Cup 2019, Match 13 - Afghanistan vs New Zealand - Toss Report
New Zealand will take on Afghanistan (Credits: Getty)

Brimming on confidence after registering two consecutive wins, New Zealand will be eyeing their third win on the trot when they take on Afghanistan in Taunton. New Zealand have beaten Sri Lanka and Bangladesh in their first two games with their bowling impressing in both of them. In their tournament-opener, New Zealand bowled out Sri Lanka for just 136 before the openers scored unbeaten fifties to take them over the line.

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In the second, the Black Caps bowled out Bangladesh for a modest 244. In reply, New Zealand suffered a collapse but eventually won by 2 wickets. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have lost two games in a row. They started their campaign with a heavy seven-wicket loss at the hands of defending champions Australia. In their second game, they failed to chase down a revised total of 187 in 41 overs against Sri Lanka. A win in this game for New Zealand will further bolster their chances of progressing ahead. On the other hand, a defeat will all but seal Afghanistan’s chances of making it to the semifinal.

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Toss Report:

New Zealand have won the toss and decided to field first against Afghanistan.

Here is what the captains said:

Kane Williamson:

“We are going to have a bowl. A fresh wicket and looks a good one. It is nice to have a couple of wins in front of us. But we have to adapt to the new ground and new surface. It was tough but it was nice to get across the line. They are all tracking very nicely.”

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Gulbadin Naib:

“Honestly I would have batted first. It looks like a good wicket. We have to play positive cricket. We have three changes – Dawlat is resting and Aftab comes in, Noor Ali plays his first game and I forgot the last change.”

Teams:

New Zealand (Playing XI):

Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson(c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham(w), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Afghanistan (Playing XI):

Hazratullah Zazai, Noor Ali Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib(c), Najibullah Zadran, Ikram Alikhil(w), Rashid Khan, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan