Afghanistan vs New Zealand, AFG vs NZ 2024, Today Match Prediction 09 September 2024

AFG vs NZ Match Prediction & Analysis

Afghanistan is all set to take on New Zealand for their one-off Test at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground in New Delhi on September 9. This will be the first Test played between the two sides. For New Zealand, the match against Afghanistan will act as a warm-up ahead of their two-match series against Sri Lanka, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC). Meanwhile, Afghanistan will be determined to deliver an impressive performance as they seek to solidify their reputation as a genuine Test cricket nation.

AFG vs NZ Betting News

RECENT PERFORMANCE

AFG

L L L

AFG

155/10 in 54.5 2.83

AFG vs IRE 2024

Ireland beat Afghanistan by -4 wickets 28 Feb 2024

IRE

111/4 in 31.3 3.52

SL

439/10 in 109.2 4.02

SL vs AFG 2024

Sri Lanka won by 10 wickets 02 Feb 2024

AFG

56/0 in 7.2 7.64

BAN

382/10 in 86.0 4.44

BAN vs AFG

Bangladesh won by 546 runs

14 Jun 2023

AFG

425/4 in 80.0 5.31

NZ

L L W W W

NZ

162/10 in 45.2 3.57

NZAUS_2024

Australia won by 3 wkts 08 Mar 2024

AUS

281/7 in 65.0 4.32

NZ

179/10 in 43.1 4.15

NZAUS_2024

Australia won by 172 runs 29 Feb 2024

AUS

196/10 in 64.4 3.03

NZ

211/10 in 77.3 2.72

NZRSA_2024

New Zealand beat South Africa by -3 wickets 13 Feb 2024

RSA

269/3 in 94.2 2.85

NZ

511/10 in 144.0 3.55

NZRSA_2024

New Zealand beat South Africa by 281 runs 04 Feb 2024

RSA

247/10 in 80.0 3.09

BAN

172/10 in 66.2 2.59

BAN vs NZ

New Zealand beat Bangladesh by 4 wickets 06 Dec 2023

NZ

139/6 in 39.4 3.5

HEAD TO HEAD

TEAMS PREVIEW

Afghanistan Preview

Hashmatullah Shahidi will be leading Afghanistan for the one-off Test against New Zealand. Their regular captain and premier spinner, Rashid Khan is currently recovering from an injury and will hence not be a part of this Test. This is a huge blow to Afghanistan, as he is their main bowler. To make things worse, seamer Naveed Zadran has been ruled out as well due to a side strain injury.

The onus will now be on Shahidi to lead from the front. In the 8 Tests he has played, Shahidi has an impressive average of 44 and a best of 200* versus Zimbabwe.

Ibrahim Zadran is another batter to watch out for. He has one century and four fifties from 7 Tests and will be looking to provide a solid start to the team.

Rahmat Shah and Riaz Hassan are expected to hold to middle order together and should enjoy batting on this pitch.

In the absence of Rashid, Afghanistan’s other bowlers will need to really step up. Azmatullah Omarzai, Nijat Masood, and Zahir Khan are likely to be their main strike bowlers. 

Key Players: Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ibrahim Zadran, Nijat Masood

Afghanistan Predicted Playing XI:

Ibrahim Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Rahmat Shah, Riaz Hassan, Ikram Alikhel (wk), Shahidullah, Qais Ahmad, Azmatullah Omarzai, Zahir Khan, Zia-ur-Rehman, Nijat Masood

New Zealand Preview

New Zealand have put together a formidable squad for their Test against Afghanistan, with veteran seamer Tim Southee captaining the team.  

The team is packed with star players, including the returning Kane Williamson, who had previously opted out of a central contract. He will be ed by fellow heavy-hitters Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and Rachin Ravindra, while Tom Latham retains his role as vice-captain, lending stability and depth to the lineup.

Williamson is a seasoned campaigner and one of the best Test batters in the world. The middle-order batter averages 68.57 across 4 Tests this year. 

Devon Conway enjoys batting on Indian pitches and will relish the chance to make a big score in this Test. We are also backing Rachin Ravindra and Daryl Mitchell to make an impact here. They’re both in-form players, and this wicket will suit their batting style.

While Southee will open the bowling, the Black Caps will be hoping for a few good spells from the likes of Mitchell Santner and Ajaz Patel, along with spin bowling all-rounders Michael Bracewell, Glenn Phillips, and Ravindra.

Key Players: Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra 

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Tom Latham, Tom Blundell/ Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, Michael Bracewell, Tim Southee (c), Mitchell Santner, Ajaz Patel, Matt Henry

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

In limited-overs cricket, the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground has generally produced healthy batting tracks. We feel, the first two and a half days will be best for batting here. There will be some turn throughout, but from the third day onwards, spinners will get a lot more help. Batters will have to show proper technique to survive on the last two days.

The weather will be very warm and humid for the first three days of the Test. Rain might hamper proceedings for a while on the final two days.

AFG vs NZ Pitch Report

The team batting first here will be looking to set a score of around 350-400. The wicket will get tougher to bat on as the match progresses, as getting a bog score in the first innings will be a massive advantage. 

Toss: To Bat

This will be the first test match played at the Greater Noida Sports Complex Ground in Greater Noida. In Test matches in India, batting first is typically the better option, as pitches tend to crack and get tougher to bat on as the match progresses. Therefore, we reckon both captains will look to bat first here.