The 21st match of World Cup T20 2022 is scheduled to play between New Zealand and Afghanistan on Wednesday, 26th October 2022 at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne

New Zealand was just outstanding in each and every department of the game in the first match against Australia. They were asked to bat first after losing the toss. The way how their batting order performed in that match was just outstanding. They scored a total of 200 runs in 20 overs. Almost all batters from their side put some runs on the board. Devon Conway proved the most successful and highest run-scorer from their side who remained not out after scoring 92 runs on 58 balls with the help of seven boundaries and two huge sixes. Finn Allen was the other batter with some good runs to his name. He scored 42 runs on just 16 balls and smashed five boundaries and three huge sixes during his inning.

James Neesham scored 26 runs while the skipper, Kane Williamson scored 23 runs. The bowling unit of New Zealand also performed well and destroyed the batting order of Australia. They defended the target of 201 runs and send the full team of Australia back to the pavilion in 111 runs in 17.1 overs. Tim Southee was the most successful bowler from their side who picked three wickets in 2.1 overs against just six runs. Mitchell Santner also performed well and picked up three wickets in four overs while he was charged with 31 runs. Trent Boult was the other bowler who performed well and picked two wickets in four overs while he was charged with 24 runs. Lockie Ferguson and Ish Sodhi picked one wicket each.

Afghanistan has a strong batting order on their side but they were not good in the first match against Sri Lanka. They have some hart hitter batters like Hazratullah Zazai, Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Mohammad Nabi, and Najibullah but no batter from their side could manage to put a big total on the board. Ibrahim Zadran was the highest run-scorer from their side scoring 32 runs on the same balls with the help of three boundaries and one huge six. Usman Ghani scored 30 runs while Najibullah could manage to score 13 runs. Gurbaz had just ten runs to his name. The middle and lower batting order of Afghanistan almost collapsed in the previous match.

Afghanistan is rich in the bowling department. They have some world-class bowlers like Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb, and Fazalhaq Farooqi but no bowler could give the best performance. Rashid Khan proved the most economical bowler from their side picking one wicket in four overs against just 24 runs. Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, and Fareed Ahmad Malik also picked one wicket each. Afghanistan is overall a strong and experienced team and has a good batting and bowling unit. They have to focus on taking early wickets and they can put some pressure on the opposition.

New Zealand had played just one match against Afghanistan which they won by a handsome margin

New Zealand is overall a strong team as compared to Afghanistan at least on paper. According to our match prediction, New Zealand is the favorite team who will win this match. There are many factors that make New Zealand a favorite team to win this match. Some of the key factors are mentioned as under:

• New Zealand had beaten the strong team Australia in their first match
• The key batters of New Zealand are back to good form
• The bowlers of New Zealand also performed well in the first match
• Afghanistan is also a strong and experienced team
• Rashid Khan can play the main role for Afghanistan in this match

New Zealand is full of experienced and young players in the t20 format. The batting order of this team is also strong and some well-known hitters of the t20 format are part of the squad of this team, so the winning chances of today’s match against New Zealand have been increased. The equation of who will win today’s cricket match prediction and who will win the cricket match today is mentioned as under.

New Zealand has a 65% chance to win this match
Afghanistan has a 35% chance to win this match

The toss will play an important role in the decision of all matches of World Cup T20. Having a good total on the board is always a big advantage in these kinds of big matches. According to our toss prediction, the team who will win the toss may choose to bat first.

The 21st match of World Cup T20 2022 is going to be held at Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne. We had observed in the previous matches played here that the pitch here at this venue is good for batting. The track is slower than the others we have seen and helps the spinners quite a bit. We are hoping that the surface is bound to get slower and be a bit more difficult for batting in this match. A score of 190 is going to be tough to chase.

The weather forecast in Melbourne is predicting some clouds around on match day but the weather forecast does not predict rain. We should be able to have a full uninterrupted match.

New Zealand: Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.

Afghanistan: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (c), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fareed Ahmad Malik, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

We will update you shortly.

Date: Wednesday, 26th October 2022
Time: 08:00 AM GMT / 07:00 PM LOCAL / 01:30 PM IST

• Stadium: Melbourne Cricket Ground
• Location: Melbourne, Australia
• Opened: 1854
• Capacity: 100000 (approx, including standing room)
• Known as: The MCG, The “G”
• Dimensions: 172.9m long, 147.8m wide
• Ends: Members End, Great Southern Stand End
• Time Zone: UTC +11:00
• Home to: Australia, Victoria
• Other Sports: it is home to Australian Rules Football, Soccer, Rugby Union, Rugby League, Lawn Bowls, Squash
• Floodlights: Yes
• Curator: Tony Ware

• Total matches: 19
• Matches won batting first: 7
• Matches won bowling first: 11
• Average 1st Inns scores: 140
• Average 2nd Inns scores: 129
• Highest total recorded: 184/3 (20 Ov) by IND vs AUS
• Lowest total recorded: 74/10 (17.3 Ov) by IND vs AUS
• The highest score chased: 172/5 (20 Ov) by SL vs AUS
• The lowest score defended: 127/10 (18.4 Ov) by AUS vs PAK

Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Martin Guptill, Michael Bracewell, Devon Conway (wk), Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.