New Zealand will have no room for complacency when they begin the T20 World Cup campaign against a gutsy Afghanistan side full of IPL stars in a Group C fixture here on Saturday. (More Sports News)
New Zealand find themselves in a difficult group with two-time champions West Indies and Afghanistan also vying for the top two spots.
With rain restricting their training sessions, New Zealand's preparation for the marquee event have been less than ideal.
Additionally, they take on Afghanistan and West Indies in their opening two games.
Come Saturday, Kane Williamson and Co. will have to get the better of a side that is not only warmed up but has also registered a morale-boosting win and know the conditions here well.
However, New Zealand's strength in ICC events has been their adaptability, they always manage to turn up, reaching the latter stages.
And with a wealth of experience as well as an exuberance of youth in the likes of Finn Allen and Rachin Ravindra in the side, they will be expected to get past the Afghans.
On paper, New Zealand have all bases covered, they have depth in batting and variety in bowling. Trent Boult will look dominate with the new ball, with Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee complementing him.
Left-arm spinner Mitchell Santner has a phenomenal record in the Caribbean, averaging under 17 with the ball at an economy of 5.5 ad he will be look to outsmart the Afghans.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan secured a thumping victory over Uganda in their opener. If the opening duo of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran provided the team a great start with the bat, pacers Fazalhaq Farooqi, Naveen-ul-Haq, and skipper Rashid Khan exhibited exceptional prowess with the ball.
But apart form Gurbaz and Zadran none of the other batters manage to stick around and against a formidable Kiwi side, they will need to do better.
Squads
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Finn Allen, Trent Boult, Michael Bracewell, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee.
Afghanistan: Rashid Khan (c), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Azmatullah Omarzai, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Ishaq, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Nangyal Kharoti, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Fareed Ahmad Malik. Reserves: Sediq Atal, Hazratullah Zazai, Saleem Safi.
Match starts 5:00am IST.
