New Zealand are batting first, and considering that factor, our Fantasy Handbook experts have made a couple of changes to their Expert XI. Have a look at our new and improved team.

Teams:

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

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

Tom Latham: Either way, wasn’t sure what to do. Looks like a good surface. Batting first will be good for us, and hopefully we can put up a big total on the board. Will Young comes in for Williamson, fingers crossed for the remainder of the tournament. Adapting to every ground, every team, and every surface is important. Not a hundred percent sure, it might be slightly better than the last game.

Hashmatullah Shahidi: We want to bowl first, the reason is it might be dew factor in the second half.

Afghanistan have won the toss and have opted to field

Pitch Report: Looks like a belter of a pitch, no grass at all. The wrist spinners might be able to get some turn and bounce. The ball will come onto the bat nicely and will be good for strokeplay. There will be soomething in it for everyone, reckon Sunil Gavaskar and Simon Doull.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward. Afghanistan have tasted resounding success by beating England. Their opponents today, the Kiwis, are also flying high and have scaled their way to the top half of the table. It isn’t a battle of the equals but would be a quest to dominate spin as the Chepauk serves as the battlefield. If today’s surface is a black soil one, it will prove to be a stern test for the batters. Will we see Afghanistan weave their magic once again? Or will the Kiwis continue to soar high? Toss and team lineups to be announced shortly...

The Kiwis would feel the absence of Williamson who has been ruled out at least for the next few games due to a fractured thumb. But, they have a shrewd operator in Latham who has shown prowess as a leader in Williamson’s absence. Will Young will probably regain his place back in the team. Southee is fit and available for selection but New Zealand won’t probably tinker with their pace attack which looks solid. On the other hand, Afghanistan’s strength lies in their spn trio of Rashid, Mujeeb, and Nabi and they would be banked upon once again in helpful conditions. If their batters rise to the occasion, the Asian side would be a force to reckon with.

12:45 Local Time, 07:15 GMT: In a span of three days, underdogs have ruled the roost twice – Afghanistan took down the defending champions, England, first up and then the Netherlands choked South Africa yesterday. That has opened up the World Cup nicely and has also proved that no matter how strong a team you are, there’s only a minimal margin of error in terms of execution. Today, resilient Afghanistan take on high-flying New Zealand at Chepauk and we bid you all a warm welcome to our live coverage. The Kiwis are off to a commanding start with three wins in three games and have all their bases covered. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, after a gloomy start to their campaign with two losses in a row, have risen in the face of adversity!

Preview by Pratyush Sinha

It was only four days ago that Will Young was scrambling around the boundary ropes at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. He was New Zealand's designated drinks-bearer alongside Chris Donaldson, the Strength & Conditioning coach, on a warm evening in Chennai. It was only four days ago that Tom Latham was back behind the wickets without feeling obligated to speak to the bowlers. It's something he's admitted to finding difficult because he's positioned so far off from the bowling end; and not being the captain for once made things a little bit easier for him in the middle.

But four days can be a long time in cricket. Come the match-day against Afghanistan, Will Young won't be tailgating Donaldson on the edge of the boundary. He'd be in the middle, batting and fielding, having come in for Kane Williamson who had no sooner recovered than the thumb broke. Tom Latham would no longer be able to abstain from conversations around the fields. He'd have to walk to the bowler to discuss plans and fields.

Not that either Young or Latham would mind it. Playing for the country is a huge privilege, let alone captaining it but the circumstances have been such for New Zealand that crises have come on a conveyor belt. Luckily though, there can only be so many of them. Is Kane Williamson injured again? Here, bring Will Young who'd just made way. Here, give this captaincy hat back to Latham who had just taken it off. It seems like New Zealand have had an answer to everything this World Cup but what they are coming up next can be a different kettle of fish altogether.

Afghanistan have arrived in Chennai not as also-rans but as bit of a lion-tamer. Just the other day, they ran rings around England, totally outplaying a team that's set the pace of ODIs for the better part of a decade now and has come in this edition to do some of the same, if not "defend" anything. The pitch here in Chennai is going to be an accomplice again and nothing less than more wins is going to do it for them. Captain Hashmatullah Shahidi has already promised "more positive cricket" and how New Zealand's perfect streak rifles through a reinvigorated opposition, and in conditions favorable to the latter, will make for a very watchable battle.

When: New Zealand vs Afghanistan, 18 October 2023, at 2:00 PM IST

Where: MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai

What to expect: A good crowd first of all. Afghanistan's games have been well-attended so far and expect more of the same for this match that follows the highs of beating England.

It will be a new surface for this game, pitch #6 to be particular, which is again expected to hold up better than the India-Australia game and will bring short and long boundaries into play.

It's set to be a typically hot day in Chennai, with highs of 32 degrees which will feel more like 38. Both the World Cup games so far here have been won by sides batting second but that said, it wasn't such an easy run-chase for New Zealand the last time around with little or no dew in attendance.

Team Watch

New Zealand

With Kane Williamson unavailable owing to an "undisplaced fracture" in his left thumb, Will Young will slot right back in his place. Tim Southee is fit and waiting on the sidelines but there's little reason to rotate the bowlers in this match, given the ample rest in the lead-up.

Tactics & Strategy

Afghanistan's win the other night was built on a century opening stand between Ibrahim Zadran & Rahmanullah Gurbaz. It was the third century stand between the pair in ODIs this year, behind only India's Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. But both the openers are susceptible against left-arm quicks; they have each been dismissed four times since the start of 2021 and score their runs at far less than run-a-ball. That makes Trent Boult a key bowler to survive against.

Probable XI: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham(c/w), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

Afghanistan

Barring last-minute injuries, Afghanistan are expected to play the same team that got them over the line against England in Delhi. Rahmanullah Gurbaz, their leading run-getter this tournament, copped a demerit point for slamming his bat on the boundary rope and a chair after his dismissal in the last game but since it was his first offence in a 24-month period, he's not an immediate risk for suspension.

Tactics & Strategy

Against England, Mohammad Nabi dismissed two left-handers. New Zealand could possibly feature five left-handers in their top eight, making Nabi a crucial bowler in the scheme of things.

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

Did you know?

- New Zealand have won both their World Cup encounters against Afghanistan so far. The last time these two sides met in WC in Taunton in 2019, Ferguson picked up 4/37.

- Afghanistan ended a 14-match losing streak in World Cups by beating England

- New Zealand are unbeaten in the last six completed ODIs in Asia. One of those games was played in Pakistan, two in Bangladesh and three in India.

Squads:

New Zealand Squad: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Tom Latham(w/c), Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Will Young, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi, James Neesham, Tim Southee

Afghanistan Squad: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi(c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil(w), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Najibullah Zadran, Abdul Rahman, Riaz Hassan, Noor Ahmad