Last Updated on 1 year ago by Charbel Coorey

T20 WC 2021 Match 40: NZ vs AFG Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible Playing 11 Pitch Report | AFG vs NZ Dream11 Prediction | New Zealand vs Afghanistan Key Players | Abu Dhabi Pitch Report

It comes down to this. Afghanistan will be just about everyone’s favourite team for the day in India, as an Afghan victory opens up a range of possibilities in Group 2. Social media names are changing, Afghanistan flags are appearing in usernames and even Shoaib Akhtar has warned of an uproar if New Zealand loses this.

Amid the chaos of social media needs to be element of calm in both teams. The Black Caps, despite winning three of their four matches, haven’t quite been at their best. It took some superb finishing by James Neesham and Glenn Phillips to steer clear of Namibia, after Scotland also made inroads into the New Zealand top order in the previous match. So, a victory and runs for the likes of Kane Williamson will be on the agenda today.

While India will be behind Afghanistan, Mohammad Nabi’s still has a chance of qualifying. Their heavy defeat to India and then India’s huge win against Scotland has now put them behind on net run rate, so the least they can do here is produce a big performance to then put some pressure on India in their final game against Namibia. To give themselves a better chance of achieving this, they will want Mujeeb ur Rahman to be fit.

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

New Zealand:

• Kane Williamson has had a quiet tournament by his standards (25, 33*, 0, 28). He has struck scores of 79* and 43 in ODIs against Afghanistan, so the skipper will be looking to replicate that kind of form here.
• Williamson has a solid record at this ground. In six innings at Abu Dhabi, Williamson has struck 229 runs at an average of 45.80 and strike rate of 127.93.
• Martin Guptill has the potential to take the game away from Afghanistan and in the process cause more heartache for India fans. He scored a brilliant 93 a few days ago against Scotland. However, he has a poor record at Abu Dhabi, with just 69 runs in six innings at an average of 11.50.
• Glenn Phillips (scores of 33 and 39* in his last two matches) put on 67 runs in the last four overs with James Neesham against Namibia. That sort of death batting can give New Zealand a big edge in this crunch game today.
• Ish Sodhi has taken seven wickets in four matches in the Super 12s. He has taken 64 wickets in 49 T20Is since the last T20 World Cup – only Rashid Khan has more.
• Trent Boult is New Zealand’s leading wicket-taker in the Super 12s (eight wickets). But, Boult does not enjoy Abu Dhabi as much as he enjoys Dubai or Sharjah. He has 10 wickets in 11 matches on this ground at an economy rate of 8.73.
• Tim Southee has been brilliant for New Zealand. His five wickets in four games cost just 18.00 runs apiece with a superb economy rate of 5.62. He is wicketless in his two T20s so far at Abu Dhabi (econ. 6.57).

Afghanistan:

• Can Hazratullah Zazai get Afghanistan off to a blistering start? He has scored 258 runs in seven T20s at Abu Dhabi at an average of 36.86 and strike rate of 165.38.
• Rahmanullah Gurbaz has made plenty of starts in this tournament. The exciting right-hander has scored 46, 10, 4 and 19 in his four matches. He does have a similar record at Abu Dhabi with 140 runs in six matches at an average of 23.33.
• Mohammad Nabi is having a solid tournament with the bat: 11* (4), 35* (32), 32* (17) and 35 (32). His 173 runs on this ground come at an average of 21.63 and strike rate of 139.52. He will be key against New Zealand’s left-handers.
• Karim Janar scored 42* off 22 balls vs India.
• Can Rashid Khan influence this game like fans know he can? The classy leg-spinner did not have a fruitful outing vs India (0/36), but he does have a superb haul of 30 wickets in 20 matches on this ground (econ. 6.22).
• Mujeeb ur Rahman took 5/20 and 1/14 before his injury. He was in fantastic form. If he’s back today, watch out.

Stats and Facts

• This will be the first T20 International between New Zealand and Afghanistan.
• Martin Guptill has struck at 134.09 vs spin in this tournament. No other New Zealand batsman has struck at over 111.
• Devon Conway has also had a quiet tournament (27, 2*, 1, 17). He will be key against the Afghanistan spinners. He averages 47.40 in seven T20Is batting at four.
• Hazratullah Zazai is striking at just 116.88 in this tournament compared to his career strike rate of 148.64.

Possible Playing 11

Ish Sodhi is set to play in this game after passing a concussion test.

New Zealand: 1. Martin Guptill, 2. Daryl Mitchell, 3. Kane Williamson (c), 4. Devon Conway (wk), 5. Glenn Phillips, 6. James Neesham, 7. Mitchell Santner, 8. Adam Milne, 9. Tim Southee, 10. Ish Sodhi, 11. Trent Boult

Afghanistan are hoping that Mujeeb is fit for this one.

Afghanistan: 1. Hazratullah Zazai, 2. Mohammad Shahzad (wk), 3. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, 4. Gulbadin Naib, 5. Najibullah Zadran, 6. Mohammad Nabi (c), 7. Karim Janat, 8. Rashid Khan, 9. Sharafuddin Ashraf/Mujeeb ur Rahman, 10. Naveen-ul-Haq, 11. Hamid Hassan.

Abu Dhabi Pitch Report and Weather

Three of the four highest totals in this World Cup have been scored on this ground. But, it is a surface where bowlers often find help in the powerplay, so the top order from each team needs to overcome this.

A warm and clear day is forecast. As this is a day game, there will be no dew.

Dream11 Prediction

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz
• Batsmen: Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson
• All-rounders: Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib
• Bowlers: Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, Rashid Khan

Also read: Fan2Play vs Dream11 – What’s the difference?

Match Prediction

The pressure is on. New Zealand is a calm team that performs well under pressure. So, they should get the job done today.