Afghanistan's must-win clash got off to a good start as their star spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman has returned to the side against New Zealand. Mujeeb missed Afghanistan's previous two games after getting injured. The addition of the mystery spinner will provide a boost to Afghanistan's chances of challenging the Kane Williamson side. He replaced Sharafuddin Ashraf in the side. The 20-year-old has been in good form in the tournament with six wickets from two games including a five-wicket haul against Scotland. He has been economical too preventing the opposition from hitting big shots in the powerplay and middle overs.
Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi won the toss and elected to bat first. Nabi also clarified that he chose to bowl first in the previous encounter against India because it was a night game and due was a factor.
Afghanistan will take the ground against New Zealand today in the Super 12 game of the T20 World Cup 2021 with 1.3 billion Indian supporting them. Currently Afghanistan are at the fourth position in Group 2 with four points in four matches. They are also desperate for their win against the Blackcaps to have a chance of qualifying for the semi-final.
Afghanistan Playing XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad(w), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi(c), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
New Zealand Playing XI: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
