T20 World Cup: Mohammad Nabi wins toss, opts to bat against New Zealand

Afghanistan skipper Mohammad Nabi has opted to bat after winning the toss in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2021 encounter against New Zealand. Nabi will certainly be well aware of the importance of a triumph from the perspective of his fans as well as that of Team India. A win for Afghanistan will help the Indian team remain alive in the race for a semi-finals berth. Team India’s campaign ends in case of a triumph for New Zealand. India will have to register a triumph against Namibia in their final league encounter, but it all comes down to an Afghanistan triumph first and foremost.

“We will bat first”

Nabi stated that his team will be opting to bat, having decided to field recently in the night game in Abu Dhabi keeping the dew factor in mind.

“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,” stated the Afghanistan skipper as quoted by Cricbuzz.

All-rounder Rashid Khan sounded enthusiastic going into the fixture, stating that he was looking forward to the encounter.

“I think it’s a proud moment for us, this will be the most watched game, so I’m looking forward to it. It’s better to focus on the basics, believe in ourselves and enjoy the game. We always love batting first, and try to defend that. But against India we had the dew factor in mind, so we wanted to take advantage of it. Today, it’s a day game, so we’ll try to bat first and defend,” said Rashid.

Williamson admitted that he would have looked to bat considering the used surface.

“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 the New Zealand skipper.

Lineups:

New Zealand (Playing XI): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.

Afghanistan (Playing XI): 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.

Sunil Gavaskar expresses confidence over Afghanistan-New Zealand viewership

Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar admitted that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Afghanistan vs New Zealand clash emerges as the most watched game of the ongoing tournament.

“I won’t be surprised at all. Everybody knows that how crucial his match is for India’s qualification. It is going to be watched by millions, perhaps even greater than the India-Pakistan game. For the simple reason that most people in the subcontinent will be watching. People in Afghanistan will be watching. They all know India’s chances of qualifying depends on this game. So I won’t be surprised if it’s the most-watched game in the World Cup maybe apart from India-Pakistan and the final,” said Gavaskar.