The T20 World Cup 2021 is now reaching its final stage. After the last Group-1 match on Saturday, both the teams entering the semi-finals were decided. Despite beating England in the last match, South Africas team failed to enter the semi-finals. England and Australia were the number one and number two teams in the group. The three teams won 4-4 matches, so in the end, the decision was made on the basis of net run rate.
Also Read: T20 World Cup 2021 Schedule, Points Table
On the other hand, in Group-2, Pakistans team has entered the semi-finals after winning their four matches. In such a situation, the decision of the second team rests on the match to be played between Afghanistan and New Zealand on Sunday. If the Afghanistan team is successful in defeating New Zealand in this match, in the same situation, the Indian team will be able to enter the semi-finals by beating the field of net run rate. Because they have to play the last match of the Super-12 round against Namibia on Monday. In terms of points, Afghanistan, New Zealand and India will level with three matches.
In such a situation, when the teams of New Zealand and Afghanistan will face each other in the very important match of the T20 World Cup on Sunday, the Indian team will be breathless as all their hopes of entering the semi-finals rest on this match. Along with Team India, crores of Indians are also praying for Afghanistans victory in this match. The Indian team had started the tournament with humiliating defeats against Pakistan and New Zealand and almost sealed their way to the semi-finals.
Also Read: NZ vs AFG Match Preview, Today Match Prediction T20 World Cup 2021
If Afghanistan beat New Zealand, their modest hopes will remain while Indias chances will be strong, which will have to win the last match by a good margin. With New Zealand winning, Indias last league match against Namibia will remain a formality.
New Zealand are brimming with confidence after defeating Namibia on Friday. Jimmy Neesham and Glenn Phillips gave the team a good score while recovering from the failure of the top order. New Zealand have a strong bowling attack which will prove to be a problem for the Afghanistan batsmen. Afghanistans batsmen have done well on the strength of their spinners so far. Their batsmen, however, will now face Trent Boult, Tim Southee, pacer Adam Milne and spinners Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner, who are in fine form.
If the Afghanistan batsmen can score well, then the bowlers under the leadership of Rashid Khan can do wonders. With the injury of Mujibur Rahman, the bowling attack has been weakened but they can take advantage of the weakness of the Kiwi bowlers against spin. However, the physio of the team is trying to fit Mujeeb. If he gets fit and comes on the field, then there can be no better news for the Indian team than this.
However, relying on Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi, Afghanistans team will go down with Kane Williamsons team in the match for the time being. However, Kane Williamson is well aware of the bowling and game of both these players as both are members of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, which was in the hands of Warner. In such a situation, Kane Williamson will definitely enter the field by making a solid plan for the Kiwi team against him.
Kane Williamson (c), Tim Southee, Darryl Mitchell, Martin Guptill, Glenn Phillips, Devon Conway, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi
Mohammad Nabi (Captain), Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Karim Janat, Hamid Hasan, Rashid Khan, Gulbadin Naib, Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb ur Rehman
The pitch of the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi is a bit difficult to understand. This is the same pitch where the three highest scores of the tournament were made. And on this same pitch, the lowest score in the powerplay in all the three venues of UAE has also come out. Initially, the fast bowlers are expected to get help and as the match progresses, the batsmen will start getting easier. The boundary here is going to be big, which can make for an exciting match. The meaning is clear, whichever team started well, it is almost certain to win the match by scoring big. High scores are expected in this match. In Abu Dhabi, the ball is coming on the bat well and there is some extra momentum in the pitch. In T20 Internationals, the average first innings score at Sheikh Zayed Stadium is 141 while the second innings average is 128.
In Abu Dhabi the weather will be hot during the day. When the players of Afghanistan and New Zealand take to the field to play the match, the temperature is expected to be around 28 degrees Celsius. Players will definitely have to face the challenge of summer. The humidity during the match can be around 52-55 percent. At the same time, the wind can move at a speed of 12 kmph. No rain is expected.
Give Your Feedback