Tom Latham Has Selection Headache, Kane Williamson Out for New Zealand vs Afghanistan

Afghanistan will be the opponent for New Zealand in their forthcoming Cricket World Cup 2023 match in India. The Black Caps got off to a strong start in the competition, defeating the reigning champions England by nine wickets thanks to hundreds from Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra. They defeated the Netherlands by 99 runs as they kept up their winning streak against a Dutch team that was making a comeback. The Kiwis then beat Bangladesh to win their third consecutive game. This time, it was Daryl Mitchell who scored 89 runs in 67 balls, a spectacular performance. Even the captain, Kane Williamson, who scored 78 runs in 107 balls before suffering an injury, had a significant evening. The 33-year-old has been suspended until the latter rounds of the World Cup, which causes Tom Latham selection difficulties. The duo’s valor was sufficient to give their team an eight-wicket win. They will now want to keep up their winning streak against Afghanistan.

On October 18, New Zealand and Afghanistan will square off at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Afghanistan got off to a sluggish start in the competition, losing to Bangladesh by six wickets in the first match. In their subsequent match, they were defeated by a tenacious Indian team, who won by an eight-wicket margin. Afghanistan recovered from its early losses against England, defeating the reigning champions by 69 runs.

Head-to-head between Afghanistan and New Zealand:

Only two ODI matches between New Zealand and Afghanistan have taken place during the World Cup. The Asian team has yet to defeat the Black Caps in a match in the premier tournament, although winning both times. It would be intriguing to watch whether they can achieve history by defeating the Kiwis for the first time ever in their forthcoming match.

Check out the probable starting lineups for New Zealand’s matchup with Afghanistan:

Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c), (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, are the members of New Zealand’s probable lineup.

Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil (wk), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, and Fazalhaq Farooqi are the members of the AFG Probable XI.

Full New Zealand squad to face Afghanistan

Kane Williamson (unwell), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham (captain), Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, and Will Young are the players from New Zealand.

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan, Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Abdul Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Ibrahim Zadran, Riaz Hassan, Rahmat Shah, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, Ikram Alikhil, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Hashmatullah Shahidi (c).