In this episode of my T20 World Cup betting tips, I look at a Group 1 game between Afghanistan and New Zealand. The outcome of the match will have a strong bearing on how the group will finish. I consider New Zealand overwhelming favourites to win.
However, Afghanistan are the dark horses of the group, quite capable of causing an upset. While New Zealand are vying with Australia and England for a semi-final spot, any slip up could prove detrimental.
| Match | Afghanistan vs New Zealand (World Cup Super 12, Group 1) |
|---|---|
| Where | Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne |
| When | 26 October 2022 |
| Start Time | 19:00 (Local Time) |
| Pitch Condition | TBA |
| Weather Condition | TBA |
Current Odds
The odds will be updated once available.
fghanistan VS New Zealand: Prediction & Tips
In my Afghanistan vs New Zealand predictions and tips, I predict the playing elevens, and name the players to look out for. In the next part of my T20 World Cup betting tips, I go on to forecast which team will win the toss.
Next, I predict which batter will score the most runs and which bowler will grab the most wickets. Readers can use my Afghanistan vs New Zealand betting tips to place bets at the best T20 World Cup betting sites.
Afghanistan Team Review
Afghanistan’s playing eleven name themselves. In my T20 World Cup betting tips, I consider their most consistent players. These men have served the team well in recent months. While R Gurbaz pips A Zazai to the wicketkeeping slot, the latter can play as a batter. N Zadran is clearly the best batter, with I Zadran and H Zazai adding strength to the middle order.
Among the bowlers, Rashid Khan is absolutely world class. Naveen ul Haq is also an automatic selection. The third bowler’s slot goes to Mujeeb ur Rahman, whose accomplishments in T20Is and league cricket speak for themselves. I would consider three all-rounders to shore up the batting: M Nabi, A Omarzai, and S Singh.
New Zealand Team Review
Four batters – Kane Williamson, Martin Guptill, and Glenn Phillips – will form the core of the top order batting. Trent Boult, Tim Southee and Bracewell are automatic choices in the bowling department. As a spinner/ all-rounder, Santner brings great balance to the squad. New Zealand could choose to play Sodhi as a second spinner.
For the eleventh spot, New Zealand would be better served by another all-rounder rather than a bowler. And my vote goes to James Neesham. My Afghanistan vs New Zealand predictions would be incomplete without the mention of wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway. Conway has established himself as New Zealand’s go-to player in a very short time.
Afghanistan vs New Zealand Head-to-Head
In my Afghanistan vs New Zealand predictions, I must consider the h2h record of the teams. Interestingly, Afghanistan and New Zealand have met only once in a T20I game. That meeting took place in the group stage at the T20 World Cup 2021. New Zealand won that match to register a 1-0 h2h advantage over Afghanistan.
Afghanistan vs New Zealand Last Meeting
The only match between the sides took place on 7 November 2021 at Abu Dhabi. It was a Group 2 match of the T20 World Cup 2021. The game attracted a lot of media interest, especially in India. India had lost to both Pakistan and New Zealand. Indian team supporters were hoping Afghanistan would score an upset win to help India into the semi-finals. Analysing that game would help finetune my Afghanistan vs New Zealand predictions.
Afghanistan won the toss and elected to bat. They soon found themselves in trouble, losing their third wicket with only 19 runs on the board in the 6th over. A couple of useful partnerships later, the scorecard read 115/5. However, with 18 overs gone, the run rate was too low to threaten the Kiwi batters.
Afghanistan ended up with an eventual score of 124/8The Afghan scorecard would have been a lot worse, but for Najibullah Zadran’s 73 off 48 balls. For New Zealand, Trent Boult took 3/17 to emerge as the most successful bowler. He was ably supported by Tim Southee, who returned figures of 2/24.
When New Zealand batted, they chased down the target without much ado. They achieved their final score of 125/2 with 11 balls to spare. The main contributions came from Martin Guptill (28), Kane Williamson (40 not out) and Devon Conway (36 not out). Barring Rashid Khan (1/27) and Mujeeb Ur Rahman (1/31), no other bowler impressed. His brilliant performance saw Trent Boult named man of the match.
Players to look out for:
In this section of my Afghanistan and New Zealand betting tips, I consider the key players of both sides. Rashid Khan is key to Afghanistan’s fortunes. If Afghanistan bat first and provide their bowlers a reasonable total (160-plus) to defend, Khan could prove a deadly asset.
Of the remaining Afghan players, skipper Nabi brings all-round value. Najibullah Zadran is the pillar on which the batting rests. Wicket-keeper Gurbaz could provide useful support to Zadran.
New Zealand will look to their ace bowler Trent Boult to restrict Afghanistan in the powerplay overs. The batting will be secure in the hands of Williamson and Conway; both are champion batters across formats. The surprise packet in this game, as well as the whole competition, could be Bracewell. Bracewell’s all-round ability could put the match beyond Afghanistan’s reach.
Toss Prediction
In this next segment of my Afghanistan and New Zealand betting tips, I make my toss prediction. I predict that New Zealand will win the toss. (The law of averages will favour New Zealand, who lost the toss in their previous (only) game versus Afghanistan.
Highest Scorer
This part of my Afghanistan and New Zealand betting tips is dedicated to forecasting the game’s highest scorer. I back New Zealand opener Devon Conway to emerge the highest scorer of the game.
Highest Wicket Taker
In my World Cup betting tips 2022, I next consider who will take the most wickets in the match. I predict that New Zealand fast bowler Trent Boult will be the highest wicket taker.
Highest Sixer Hitter
The focus of my World Cup betting tips 2022 now shifts to predicting who will hit the most sixes. I predict that New Zealand batter Glenn Phillips will record the most sixes in his team’s game versus Afghanistan.
Most Economical Bowler
In this part of my World Cup betting tips 2022, I name who I think will concede the least runs. (I have only considered bowlers who complete a full quota of four overs.) I predict that Afghanistan leg spin/ googly bowler Rashid Khan will concede the fewest runs in his four overs.
Most Catches
In my statistical World Cup betting tips 2022, I name the player likely to take the most catches. I predict that New Zealand keeper Devon Conway will snare the most catches in New Zealand’s game against Afghanistan.
Afghanistan VS New Zealand: Dream 11 Predictions
In the last part of my World Cup betting tips 2022, I name my Dream 11. The following is my Dream 11 fantasy cricket line up for the T20 World Cup match between Afghanistan and New Zealand.
I have included seven players from New Zealand and 4 from Afghanistan in my line-up. I could make strategic changes during the event based on the form of the players and teams at that time.
- Wicket keeper: Gurbaz, Conway
- Batsman: Williamson, Phillips, N Zadran
- All-rounders: Bracewell, Neesham, Nabi
- Bowlers: Boult, Southee, R Khan
The captain of my Dream 11 team is Bracewell, while the vice-captain is Rashid Khan.