New Zealand are two wins away from making back-to-back semi-final appearances in ICC Men's T20 World Cup -- Namibia on Friday and Afghanistan on Sunday. They are the favourites to win both the matches.
But with India and Afghanistan also in the fight for the second semi-final spot from Group 2, these "David and Goliath" clashes will have extra interests, especially from the Indian fans.
The Kiwis started their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign with a defeat against Pakistan. But Kane Williamson & Co won their next two matches, against India and Scotland, to revive their semi-final hopes. Now, a win against Namibia will push them closer to the semifinals.
Namibia, with one win in three matches, are still in contention for a top-two finish in the group. And they are expected to give the Kiwis a good fight. A win against the BlackCaps will be a massive scalp for the Associate side. That's a big enough incentive to give their all.
New Zealand and Namibia are meeting for the first time. And the stage can't be bigger than this. A T20 World Cup with lot more than pride at stake.
How To Watch
The New Zealand vs Namibia cricket match will be telecast live as well as live streamed on digital devices from 3.30 PM IST. In another Group 2 match, India play Scotland later in the evening from in Dubai, starting 7:30 PM IST.
The New Zealand Vs Namibia, Super 12 match can be seen live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada. The live streaming of the New Zealand vs Namibia match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar. Toss is at 3 PM and the first ball at 3:30 PM IST.
Playing XIs in the previous match
New Zealand (vs Scotland): Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult.
Namibia (vs Pakistan): Stephan Baard, Michael van Lingen, Craig Williams, Gerhard Erasmus (c), Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Zane Green (wk), David Wiese, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Ruben Trumpelmann, Ben Shikongo.
Squads
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), James Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Tim Southee, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Kyle Jamieson, Todd Astle.
Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Stephan Baard, JJ Smit, Karl Birkenstock, Jan Frylinck, Ben Shikongo, Bernard Scholtz, Craig Williams, Michael van Lingen, Ruben Trumpelmann, Zane Green, David Wiese, Pikky Ya France, Michau du Preez, Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton.
