New Zealand begin the World Cup in as commanding a fashion as ever. Finn Allen starts with an assault on Australia, Devon Conway makes a commanding 92, Jimmy Neesham comes out in yet another World Cup encounter to prove his worth and the bowling delivers. The line-up looks very good and with Daryl Mitchell coming back, New Zealand are set to look even better. Finn Allen in particular was impressive. He bought out a Brendon McCullum type attitude and was crucial as New Zealand won their first game in Australia, against Australia in over a decade.

Afghanistan are also doing a good job. Had they had 20 more runs against England, they may have won the game. The batting is a concern but the bowling is truly turning out to be World-Class. In Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Afghanistan has a mighty spin trio, who will look to inflict some damage against New Zealand.

NZ vs AFG Head to Head

Played- 1 | New Zealand – 1 | Afghanistan – 10 | No Result- 0 | Tie-

NZ vs AFG Match Details

Date: 26th October 2022

Time: 1:30 PM IST

Venue: Perth Stadium

NZ vs AFG Weather Report

Melbourne is clear with the storm passing through and a full game is on the cards.

NZ vs AFG Pitch Report

The Melbourne track is swinging and New Zealand should enjoy the conditions. Batting first will be a better option with the ball swinging well in both innings of the game.

NZ vs AFG Predicted Playing XI

New Zealand Playing XI

Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Daryll Mitchell, Mark Chapman/ Ish Sodhi, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Tim Southee

Afghanistan Playing XI

Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

NZ vs AFG Key Players

Jimmy Neesham

In the lead-up to the World Cup, Jimmy Neesham was way to silent. The performances were missing and he was invisible. Come the World Cup though, Jimmy Neesham is back on song. He started the tournament with banging batting performance and is back, enjoying his time on the big stage. With Jimmy Neesham showing an ability to step up under pressure it will be interesting to see what else he brings as the tournament goes on.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan is Afghanistan’s biggest asset. If Afghanistan are to do anything in this World Cup, his set of 24 balls in each game are going to the key factor. While Melbourne is swinging a lot, it will be interesting to see how Rashid Khan brings his bag of tricks out.

See Also: England vs India 2nd ODI Match Prediction – Cricket Winner

NZ vs AFG Match Tips

New Zealand are off to a commanding start. With Melbourne swinging a lot, Trent Boult will be a huge factor and considering the conditions alone, New Zealand are in with an advantage.

Match Prediction: New Zealand will Win the Match