Providence Stadium T20 World Cup records & stats ahead of Match 16, Afghanistan vs New Zealand

In match no. 14 of the 2024 T20 World Cup, New Zealand will open their campaign against Afghanistan at the Providence Stadium in Guyana. New Zealand finished semifinalists in the last edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia and will want to go one better. Afghanistan for now have started their journey with a win against Uganda. 

At this stadium, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran put up a record stand before some good death bowling, especially from Cosmas Kyewuta restricted Afghanistan to just 183. Fazalhaq Farooqi then started breathing fire from the first over itself, earning himself the third-best bowling figures ever in the T20 World Cup with a Man of the Match-worthy fifer that sank Uganda to just 58 all out. 

New Zealand will have to be wary of what Afghanistan can bring to the table especially now that the upsets have started coming at the T20 World Cup. 

Providence Stadium Pitch Report:

The last game here was between PNG and Uganda which turned out to be a moderately bleak affair with a very low total. But the pitch wasn’t very troublesome and is expected to improve especially during a heavyweight clash. A very low total is not likely to be on the cards here. 

T20I Stats and Records at Providence Stadium: 

9 matches out of 16 have been won batting second at this stadium with as many as 3 with no results. It’s a historically slow ground with the average innings score being just 129. 

Afghanistan vs New Zealand Strategies & Match-ups:

The surface will still be on the slower side, and hence, just like many other matches, the bowlers will be the ones holding the key. The surface will make the batters put in the work and labour around for runs. The winning score here only looks to be around the low 160s. 

The important match-ups for this game are Fazalhaq Farooqi vs Finn Allen, Devon Conway vs Naveen ul Haq, Daryl Mitchell vs Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz vs Trent Boult, Ibrahim Zadran vs Tim Southee. 

X-Factors for Afghanistan vs New Zealand:

Afghanistan: Rashid Khan had a sedate outing against Uganda, but will be waiting to fully unleash himself on a surface likely to be sluggish against NZ batsmen who tend to get stuck against spin. 

New Zealand: He may not have gotten opportunities in the IPL, but Glenn Phillips is still one of the most prized all-rounders in the T20 circuit, and his versatility in not just two, but all three skills will be important for New Zealand on the slower surfaces.