New Zealand and Afghanistan will lock horns in the 16th match of the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on October 18.

The Kiwis are the clear favourites to win the match, having won all three of their matches so far in the tournament. Afghanistan, on the other hand, have won one and lost two matches.

New Zealand are coming off an eight-wicket win over Bangladesh in their previous match. Rachin Ravindra was the star of the show for the Kiwis, scoring an unbeaten 123 runs. Daryl Mitchell also scored a half-century, and Lockie Ferguson picked up three wickets.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, opened their account after a historic win over England in Delhi. Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ikram Alikhil scored half-centuries to help Afghanistan post a total of 284 runs. Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan then picked up two wickets each to help Afghanistan bowl out England for 215 runs.

The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai is generally slow and assists spinners. This could play into Afghanistan’s favour, as they have a strong spin attack in Rashid Khan and Mujeeb Ur Rahman. However, New Zealand also have a good spin attack in Ish Sodhi and Mitchell Santner.

Overall, New Zealand are the favourites to win the match. However, Afghanistan are a dangerous team, and they should not be taken lightly.

Probable Playing XIs:

New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c, wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (c), Ikram Alikhil (wk), Mohammad Nabi, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Prediction: New Zealand to win