🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: M4: AFG vs NZ at Chennai on 08/02/26🏏 - Page 2

Thank you for the tag Raji

May the best team win

Thank you Raji for the thread and for tagging.

Best wishes to both teams.

09:45 local time, 04:15 GMT: Afghanistan outclassed New Zealand the last time these two sides met in a World Cup game two years ago. Can they do it again? They do have batting till 8 and have experienced world-class spinners that can do the same on their own. The Blackcaps were hit by few fitness issues but they somehow need to assemble a XI that bats at least till 8 to handle the Afghan spin threat.

Afghanistan come into the T20 World Cup as a team that has outgrown the tag of plucky outsiders. Consistent qualification and strong performances across recent ICC events have pushed expectations higher than ever before. With a core that has played a lot of high-level T20 cricket around the world, Afghanistan arrive with the belief that they can go deep into the tournament once more like they did in the last edition. Their bowling resources, especially in spin, continue to define their identity. For Afghanistan, this World Cup is about sustaining what they did in 2024.

Another Afghanistan squad at a major event that has a threatening spin attack. Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi continue to be at the forefront despite the fact that the latter is 41 now. The rise of Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai and Noor Ahmad in recent years bodes well for them. If that batting department can click, Afghanistan will fancy their chances of going deep into the tournament yet again.

The road to the World Cup

Afghanistan surprisingly didn't even make it to the Super Four stages of the Asia Cup last year. But since then, they have managed to register impressive wins over Zimbabwe and West Indies alongside a solitary win over Qatar sandwiched between them.

Last five T20Is: W-W-W-W-L (latest)

The way they play

One issue Afghanistan had last time despite going as far as the semifinal was their over-reliance on the openers. However, the likes of Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli have strengthened that batting department in recent times. With a top four that's firing, Afghanistan have great firepower in the middle with the likes of Nabi and Omarzai to constantly push for bigger totals. With the ball, Mujeeb Ur Rahman has been making inroads with the new ball and that aids in them attacking in the middle overs through Rashid and Noor.

Who can bend a match in 10 balls

Their inspirational skipper Rashid Khan has the ability to turn the game around in a very short span of time. One of the most successful bowlers in T20 cricket of all time, Rashid remains Afghanistan's biggest weapon with the ball. With his ability to use the long handle to good effect, Rashid can also turn games around with the bat at the end of the innings with little cameos that he is now renowned for.

Scheduling

Afghanistan kickstart and finish their group stage campaign in Chennai. In between those fixtures, they will be travelling to Ahmedabad and Delhi. While they are expected to brush aside UAE and Canada, this group will be one to watch out for with South Africa and New Zealand being the other two teams.

Date Opponent Venue
February 8New ZealandMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai
February 11South AfricaNarendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
February 16UAEArun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi
February 19CanadaMA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

It was this fixture that effectively decided New Zealand's fate two years ago at the previous T20 World Cup. And now, here they are again, facing Afghanistan, to open their T20 World Cup campaign. It's two 'tournament teams' taking on each other in a group of death that also has South Africa. Lots at stake, lots to look forward to, welcome.

After all the slam-bang cricket in the bilateral series against India, New Zealand will be happy to be finally playing a game at a saner venue. This is Chepauk - a venue where you won't see the bat do all the talking. Bowlers enjoy the slightly big boundaries and with it the bounce that's been revived since the pitches got a top wash before the ODI World Cup in 2023. In fact before that, the pitches demanded high skill and application for batters to be successful. Now it's a bit more easier to bat, so gone are the days of teams trying to a complete spin stranglehold. The outfield as well was recently relaid for a fresh look and enhanced drainage system that is expected to help the outfield get match-ready in about 40 minutes once the rain stops.

Giant killing potential

While it shouldn't really be viewed as an upset given Afghanistan absolutely battered them in the last World Cup, New Zealand are still the fancied team on paper. However, these two teams will clash in Chennai this time to begin their respective campaigns. If the surface does play slow, Afghanistan will fancy their chances to land an early blow on New Zealand. Remember, they did beat Pakistan at the same venue in the 2023 ODI World Cup.

What a good World Cup looks like

Can they follow up their 2024 last-four appearance with something similar? Or something even beyond? In these conditions, Afghanistan certainly have the personnel to push the big guns once again. But merely getting out of their group to make it to the Super 8 stages will also be considered a successful campaign for the Asian side.