New Zealand and Afghanistan are ready to face each other in the 4th match of Group D in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, on Sunday, February 08. This match is scheduled to begin at 11:00 AM IST. Stay tuned with our NZ vs AFG prediction, team preview, pitch report, player stats and winner prediction ahead of this exciting contest.
New Zealand and Afghanistan will once again be seen playing in the same group in the T20 World Cup 2026 as they did last time. The last time these two met, Afghanistan had secured a win by performing better, whereas New Zealand had lost the match against Afghanistan as well, due to which they had to be eliminated from the group stage itself. Afghanistan performed brilliantly and not only reached the Super 8 but also in the semi-finals. Once again, we can witness an exciting match between the two teams. This match will be important for both the teams and will determine their path to reaching the next round in this World Cup.
Head-to-Head Record: Till now, a total of 2 T20 matches have been played between New Zealand and Afghanistan, in which both teams performed well and won one each.
New Zealand Preview
New Zealand is a very good team who have proved themselves in world cricket, but their recent performance has not been good. They lost the five-match series against Team India by 4-1. Apart from this, in the last T20 World Cup also they had to face defeat against Afghanistan and were eliminated from the group stage itself. However, this team has the potential to perform well, as their fans will expect from them.
New Zealand’s batting will be highly anticipated from the top order of Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, as both players are known for their aggressive batting and have recently delivered impressive performances to help their teams in recent league to win matches. However, the kiwis will also have high hopes from Glenn Phillips in the batting department, who is coming off a stellar performance. He was also New Zealand’s highest run-scorer in the recent five-match series against Team India, scoring 176 runs at a strike rate of 153.
Apart from them, Daryl Mitchell is also performing well, scoring 207 runs in the last 10 matches at a strike rate of over 181. Apart from this, Daryl was also the highest run scorer in the ODI series played against India, which will definitely give him confidence to perform well in these conditions.
In bowling, Ish Sodhi can do wonders on a spinning track, having taken 12 wickets in the last nine matches. Supporting them from the other end will be captain Mitchell Santner himself, who has considerable experience of playing in these conditions. While the responsibility of fast bowling will be on Jacob Duffy, who has been performing consistently well and has taken 16 wickets in the last 10 matches.
Tip
| Player | Tip | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Glenn Phillips | Over 26.5 Runs | 1.85 |
Glenn Phillips was New Zealand’s top run-scorer in the recent series against India, piling up 176 runs at a strike rate of 153. His current form and aggressive approach make him the key batting pick once again.
Afghanistan Preview
Afghanistan had successfully reached the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup with a superb performance. So considering them a weak team now can prove to be the biggest mistake of any team. Apart from this, they had also performed brilliantly in the recent T20 series played against West Indies and won it 2-1. So they will definitely have good confidence and are aware of the Indian conditions. They will try to perform brilliantly here once again.
Afghanistan’s batting is highly dependent on the top order as it is here that their entire batting performance is decided. Rahmanullah Gurbaz can perform well in this T20 World Cup, who has scored 301 runs in the last nine matches at a strike rate of over 143. Apart from him, Ibrahim Zadran has also been performing consistently well and has scored 366 runs in the last nine matches at an average of 52.29, where his strike rate is around 130.
Afghanistan’s biggest strength in bowling is their spin bowling attack, which has consistently produced impressive performances and won matches for the team. Mujeeb Ur Rahman is currently the best performer, taking 16 wickets in the last eight matches. Captain Rashid Khan is also in good form, taking 14 wickets in the last eight matches, with an economy rate of less than 5. Moreover, Noor Ahmed also has the potential to do well, while the team will depend on Fazalhaq Farooqi and Azmatullah Omarzai in the fast bowling department.
Tip
| Player | Tip | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| Rahmanullah Gurbaz | Over 26.5 Runs | 1.85 |
Rahmanullah Gurbaz has scored 301 runs in his last nine matches at a strike rate above 143. His aggressive starts make him Afghanistan’s most dangerous top-order batter and a strong pick to cross this mark again.
NZ vs AFG Probably Playing XI
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (WK), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (C), Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Ish Sodhi.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (C), Mujeeb ur Rahman, Noor Ahmed, Fazalhaq Farooqi.
ALSO READ: T20 World Cup 2026: SWOT Analysis of New Zealand – Can Consistency Finally Deliver a Title?
NZ vs AFG Pitch Report
The pitch at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai, is generally considered a spin-friendly surface. In T20 matches, the conditions are not fully favourable for batsmen and fast bowlers due to the slow nature of pitch. Fielding first is considered a better decision at this venue, but chasing is also competitive. The batters need to play carefully to be able to score well. However, fast bowlers can also get a good bounce here in the first innings.
The weather on Sunday at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai is expected to be partly sunny, around 25°C with a 5% chance of rain, high 81% humidity, and light winds near 6 km/h.
Venue T20I Statistics
| Stats | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Matches | 10 |
| Matches won batting first | 6 |
| Matches won bowling first | 3 |
| Average 1st innings Score | 151 |
| Average 2nd innings Score | 127 |
| Highest total recorded | 189/4 (20 Ovs) – RSAW vs INDW |
| Lowest total recorded | 80/10 (17.5 Ovs) – PAKW vs ENGW |
| Highest score chased | 182/4 (20 Ovs) – IND vs WI |
| Lowest score defended | 103/8 (20 Ovs) – WIW vs PAKW |
NZ vs AFG Winner Prediction
The performance of both the teams has been decent recently. New Zealand is counted among the top teams but they had a disappointing performance against India, whereas Afghanistan’s performance seems to be better than theirs so far. Apart from this, Afghanistan’s victory over New Zealand in the last T20 World Cup will also give them a slight upper hand. The team that can handle the pressure well will win this match, however, considering the Afghani good spin attack and the venue conditions, they will be the favourites to win this match.
On the other hand, New Zealand is a very good team that can beat any big opponent in any conditions. Moreover, they are performing consistently well with their in-form players, so they also have the ability to beat Afghanistan.
Our Prediction: Afghanistan
T20 World Cup 2026 Live Streaming Details
| Region | Where to Watch |
|---|---|
| India | Star Sports, Jio Hotstar |
| Sri Lanka | ThePapare, Dialog Play |
| Pakistan | Myco, Tamasha, Tapmad, ARY Zapp |
| Afghanistan | AF Sports |
| Bangladesh | TSM (via Rabbithole) |
| North America | Willow |
| Middle East & North Africa | E& (selected matches), ICC.tv |
| United Kingdom | Sky Sports, ICC.tv |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | SuperSport, ICC.tv |
| New Zealand | Sky TV NZ , ICC.tv |
| Australia, Europe, Caribbean, SE Asia, Pacific Islands, South America | ICC.tv |
Code: TOPBK
