New Zealand aim to maintain consistency against jolted Afghanistan

ICC: New Zealand, coming fresh after a nervy win against Bangladesh, will aim for an improved batting performance when they take on Afghanistan in their third match of the World Cup in Taunton today.

Overview

New Zealand, much like they did in 2015, have been building up their success in the tournament with their aggressive but disciplined fast bowling. While Matt Henry is leading the wicket-takers’ list, Trent Boult, the no. 2 ranked bowler in MRF Tyres ICC Bowling Rankings has made his presence felt. Adding to this is the deception of Colin de Grandhomme which has accounted for Virat Kohli, Angelo Mattews and Shakib Al Hasan on this tour so far; also not to forget Mitchell Santner’s guile.

The batting though slipped terribly in the second half of the run-chase against Bangladesh, before Santner saw them home. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor will hope for more support from the middle order against the skilled Afghanistan bowling unit.

Still searching for their first win, Afghanistan would regret the lost opportunity against Sri Lanka, as their batting failed miserably after the bowlers had set it up. While the spin trio lived up to its reputation, the new ball bowlers can ill-afford indiscipline against the aggressive duo of Guptill and Munro. The batting, barring Najibullah Zadran, has so far seemed to lack the intensity and determination required at the biggest stage.

Things have worsened further for the Gulbadin Naib led side, as the explosive wicket-keeper batsman, Mohammad Shahzad has been ruled out of the remainder of the tournament due to a knee injury.

Key players

Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan): Not a big turner of the ball, certainly capable to overturn the flow of a cricket match, Mohammad Nabi once again proved his immense skills as an off-spinner against Sri Lanka. Nabi will look to bring his experience into play once again, to try and fetch first points for Afghanistan in this World Cup.

Kane Williamson (New Zealand): Arguably the best player of spin bowling in the Kiwi setup, Kane Williamson’s skill and experience would come in handy against his IPL teammates, Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, in the middle overs. The New Zealand skipper would look to anchor the innings as the other batsmen will try to exploit the short boundaries at Taunton.

Conditions

A few blustery afternoon showers can be expected on an otherwise sunny day at Taunton. Short boundaries will make things difficult for the bowlers, much like it did in the last game hosted at this venue 20 years ago, when Sourav Ganguly and Rahul Dravid stitched a 318-run partnership against Sri Lanka – a World Cup record till 2015.

Squads

Afghanistan: Gulbadin Naib (c), Mohammad Shahzad (wk), Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah, Asghar Afghan, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Najibullah Zadran, Samiullah Shinwari, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Aftab Alam, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb ur Rahman.

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Tom Blundell (wk), Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor.