ICC World Cup 2019: Match 13, Afghanistan vs New Zealand: Dream11 Fantasy Cricket Tips – Playing XI, Pitch Report & Injury Update

New Zealand and Afghanistan will lock horns in the World Cup match 13 on Saturday at Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton. The teams are coming into this encounter with contrasting results in the previous matches. While the Kiwis just edged past Bangladesh in a thrilling game, Afghanistan lost to Sri Lanka in a rain-marred clash. New Zealand is the favourite to win this match but expects a tough fight from Gulbadin Naib and his troops.

Kane Williamson is unlikely to change the team combination who came up triumphant in the last match. Even the batsmen need to spend more time in the middle. They were guilty of throwing their wickets away in the previous match. If this is the batting shape they might falter for the top teams. Ikram Ali Khil will be replacing Wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Shahzad, who is plagued by a knee injury and it’s unlikely Afghanistan will play Shahzad in this tourney. Though it remains to be seen if Ikram Ali makes it to the playing XI soon after landing in England.

Match Details

The 13th match of the ICC World Cup 2019 will be played between Afghanistan and New Zealand at the Cooper Associates County Ground in Taunton.

The match starts at 01:30 pm local time (12:30 pm GMT) (6:00 pm IST).

The game will be live on Star Sports 3. Live streaming available on Hotstar.

Weather Report

It is expected to rain in the morning in Taunton. The things though will improve with the chances of rain also reducing as the day progresses. But, the match starts in the noon (local time) would be an advantage. According to AccuWeather, it will partly be sunny after 1 pm. The temperature will hover around 14-16 Degrees Celsius during the match.

Pitch Report

The Cooper Associates County Ground hasn’t hosted many ODIs in the recent past. If the domestic One-Day tournament is considered, the pitches were decent enough for batting. While a couple of matches were high-scoring, some turned out to be a good contest. Generally, it is a dry surface in Taunton and the spinners will have a say if the same is the case on Saturday.

Average first innings score: 257 (last four matches in domestic One-Day Cup)

Record of the chasing teams: Won – 2; Lost – 2

Probable Playing XIs

Afghanistan

Noor Ali Zadran, Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmat Shah (WK), Hashmatullah Shahidi, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib (C), Najibullah Zadran, Rashid Khan, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.

Bench – Ikram Ali Khil, Samiullah Shenwari, Aftab Alam, Asghar Afghan.

New Zealand

Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (C), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (WK), James Neesham, Colin de Grandhomme, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Bench – Ish Sodhi, Tom Blundell, Henry Nicholls, Tim Southee.

Team News:

Mohammad Shahzad has been ruled out of the World Cup due to a knee injury. Ikram Ali Khil will be his replacement.

Power Picks:

Ross Taylor in England since 2015:

Innings: 9

Runs: 605

Average: 75.62

100s: 2

50s: 3

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Martin Guptill, Mohammad Nabi, Trent Boult

Vice-Captain Options: Ross Taylor, Kane Williamson, Najibullah Zadran

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/Small Leagues:

Wicket-Keepers – Tom Latham

Batsmen – Najibullah Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Martin Guptill (C), Kane Williamson

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi (VC), Gulbadin Naib, Colin de Grandhomme

Bowlers – Rashid Khan, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson.

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Wicket-Keepers – Tom Latham

Batsmen – Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Ross Taylor (VC), Martin Guptill

All-Rounders – Mohammad Nabi, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner

Bowlers – Hamid Hassan, Rashid Khan, Trent Boult (C).

Expert Advice:

Spinners generally have a say on the dry pitch in Taunton. It will be better if you have both Nabi and Rashid in your team.

Probable Winners:

New Zealand is expected to win the match.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision