Abu Dhabi: Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi won the toss and opted to bat first against New Zealand in a Super 12 match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, here Sunday.
Afghanistan made one change in their team as Mujeeb Ur Rahman came in place of Sharafuddin Ashraf for this important clash.
“We will bat first. It was a night game in Abu Dhabi, so we bowled first considering the dew factor. It’s a day game, so we want to post a decent total on the board. Mujeeb is back, he is in the team, Sharafuddin is out. We will try our best and try to win,” said Nabi at the toss.
On the other hand, the Kane Williamson-led New Zealand remained unchanged for this match.
“We were going to have a bat as well, it’s a used surface. I think both sides have match winners and it’s a mix of youth and experience. We are playing with the same team, no changes,” said Williamson at the toss.
The outcome of this game will decide the semifinal hopes of India, Afghanistan and New Zealand from Group 2.
Playing XI:
Afghanistan: 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: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.