Afghanistan will go head-to-head towards New Zealand within the sixteenth match of the ICC World Cup 2023 on Wednesday, October 18 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

New Zealand kicked off their match marketing campaign in outstanding trend, notching up three consecutive wins. They initiated their journey with a thumping nine-wicket win towards England, adopted by victories over Netherlands by 99 runs and Bangladesh by eight wickets.

Then again, Afghanistan has had a roller-coaster World Cup journey. They started their marketing campaign with back-to-back defeats to Bangladesh and India however turned the tables with their first main upset, defeating the star-studded England group by 69 runs at Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi.

New Zealand will likely be coming into this match with out their traditional captain, Kane Williamson, who has been dominated out of the remaining group stage matches resulting from a thumb fracture. Tom Latham will tackle the captaincy in his absence. In the meantime, Afghanistan is eager to take care of their profitable momentum.

Earlier than heading into this recreation, let’s check out the pitch report and floor stats of the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai:

NZ vs AFG: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Pitch Report

The Chepauk pitch has confirmed to be spin-friendly, however it could actually additionally favour batters in the event that they keep away from cross-batted pictures. Initially, there may very well be some seam motion, however as the sport progresses, spinners will come into play. Given the situations, we would witness a lower-scoring affair.

The toss received’t be a game-changer on this matchup, because it’s been cut up evenly between groups selecting to bat or bowl first. The group that may successfully deploy their spinners may have the higher hand. A complete of 270 to 290 runs will pose a difficult goal on this context.

NZ vs AFG: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Floor Stats

• Whole matches: 36
• Matches received batting first: 17
• Matches received bowling first: 18

• Common 1st Inns scores: 224
• Common 2nd Inns scores: 206

• Highest complete recorded: 337/7 (50 Ov) by ASIAXI vs AFRICAXI
• Lowest complete recorded: 69/10 (23.5 Ov) by KEN vs NZ
• Highest rating chased: 291/2 (47.5 Ov) by WI vs IND
• Lowest rating defended: 171/10 (45.4 Ov) by ENG vs RSA

NZ vs AFG: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai Climate Report

Wednesday in Chennai guarantees a scorching and sunny day, with temperatures starting from 29°C to 32°C. Nevertheless, because the day progresses into night, the warmth will subside. Anticipate vital humidity at round 70%, with light winds blowing at roughly 13 km/h.