New Zealand vs Afghanistan, Match 21 T20 WC 2022 Stats Preview: Players records and approaching milestones

After a resounding victory over rivals Australia in the Super 12 opener, the high-flying Kiwis now face challenges from Afghanistan in Match 21 on October 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Mohammad Nabi’s Afghanistan started off their campaign with a loss against tournament favorites England by five wickets in Perth.

Talking about the Blackcaps’ stunning 89-run win against the Aussies, dashing opener Finn Allen set the tone for his side with his assault of 42 off just 16. Devon Conway then controlled the innings to perfection as he carried his bat with his knock of 92 as New Zealand posted a daunting total of 200/3.

The hosts never really looked in the massive run-chase as they got bundled out for just 111 with Tim Southee and Mitchell Santner picking up three scalps each. The Afghans were blown away by a five-wicket haul from Sam Curran as they managed to score only 112 to lose their opening match by five wickets.

Kane Williamson and his team would look to continue their impressive and solid start to the tournament by making it two in two for the Kiwis. On the other hand, the Afghans would hope for a better outing as they rely heavily on their lead spinners Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman to make lives difficult for New Zealand.

Meanwhile, here are some of the important stats and numbers ahead of Match 21 in the Super 12 Round in Group 1 between New Zealand and Afghanistan in T20 WC 2022:

Head-to-Head: New Zealand and Afghanistan have met only once in a T20I. Both sides clashed in the T20 World Cup in 2021. The BlackCaps won that encounter convincingly by an eight-wicket margin in Abu Dhabi.

88 – Kane Williamson (15912) needs 88 runs to complete the landmark of 16000 runs across formats.

3 – Devon Conway (97) requires three fours to reach 100 fours in T20 internationals.

33 – Hazratullah Zazai (967) is 33 runs away from completing the milestone of 1000 T20I runs.

2 – Trent Boult (98) needs two grabs to reach 100 catches in international cricket.

6 – Hazratullah Zazai (94) is six fours away from reaching 100 fours in the shortest international format.

4 – Mujeeb Ur Rahman (46) needs four scalps to complete 50 wickets in the T20I format.

3 – Daryl Mitchell (47) is three fours away from completing 50 fours in T20Is.

3 – James Neesham (47) needs three fours to reach 50 fours in T20 internationals.

5 – Fareed Ahmad (45) requires five scalps to complete 50 wickets in international matches.

4 – Ish Sodhi (20) requires four scalps to surpass Nathan McCullum (23) and become the second-highest wicket-taker for New Zealand in T20 World Cups.