T20 World Cup: Spin-heavy Afghanistan eyes New Zealand scalp

One of the highlights of the 2024 T20 World Cup was Afghanistan’s sensational march to the semifinals. The foundation for the team’s inspiring run — in which it also beat the mighty Australia — began with a crushing 84-run win over New Zealand.

The memories of that game in Providence should be fresh in the minds of both these outfits when they get ready to square off against each other to kickstart their 2026 campaign (Group D) here at the MAC Stadium on Sunday.

Afghanistan will bank on its formidable spin attack, led by skipper Rashid Khan, to stifle the Black Caps, especially if the Chepauk surface plays true to its reputation for being kind to tweakers.

Apart from Rashid, the experienced Mohammad Nabi and Noor Ahmad — the latter can expect good local support through his Chennai Super Kings association — form a potent combination.

The batting unit, though, relies heavily on openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz, and the middle-order batters need to pull their weight if the squad hopes to go deep in the tournament.

New Zealand, meanwhile, has to quickly learn lessons from the 1-4 drubbing at the hands of India recently to avoid another first-round exit. The main issue in the bilateral series was its batting, which was overreliant on Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips. However, the Kiwis have often shown the ability to raise their levels on the big stage.

This is one of the most competitive groups, with three of the five sides ranked in the top 10 (New Zealand, South Africa, and Afghanistan). Can Rashid’s men spring another surprise?