Afghanistan had it easy in their first game, thrashing Uganda by 125 runs. But they will be facing a tough test in their second match when they take on New Zealand in Providence on Friday (Saturday morning IST).
New Zealand have a very strong side, packed with T20 specialists and captained by the much-experienced Kane Williamson. They are balanced in almost all departments of the game.
But the Afghans are no pushovers. They have earned quite a reputation for themselves as giant-killers and have proper cricketers who have the talent of taking onthe world’s best.
For the Afghans to overpower the Black Caps, two players will be playing a very crucial role at the top of their batting order — openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Both are good, aggressive batters who can dent opposition attacks. New Zealand have a dangerous new-ball expert in Trent Boult and it’s imperative that Gurbaz and Zadran negotiate the left-armer’s swing wisely. Boult gets on the top of batters quickly if he gets an early wicket.
To Afghanistan’s advantage, both Gurbaz, who was part of the Kolkata Knight Riders’ victorious IPL campaign, and Zadran had a good outing against Uganda, each getting a fifty.
If the Afghan batters can put up a strong batting display, they have the variety in their bowling to trouble even the best of batters. Fazalhaq Farooqi is a slippery left-arm pacer and spinner Rashid Khan has all the experience.
