New Zealand vs. Afghanistan: Date, Live Stream, TV Info for Cricket World Cup
New Zealand will be the big favourites to preserve their immaculate record at the 2015 Cricket World Cup when they face Afghanistan in what should be an intriguing contest in Napier.
The Black Caps juggernaut have won all four of their opening matches in the competition, including a thrilling one-wicket win over fierce rivals Australia in their previous outing. The bowling attack is firing, the batting is aggressive and the fielding has been perpetually sharp.
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It’ll be interesting to see what kind of mindset Afghanistan are in for this clash, though. The Associate nation were beaten by a whopping 275 runs by co-hosts Australia in their previous fixture, but they have showcased some small fillips of positivity throughout this tournament so far.
Here’s a closer look at both sides ahead of this contest and all the information you need on where to catch the action from Down Under.
Date: Sunday, Mar. 8
Time: 10 p.m. GMT, Mar. 7/5 p.m. ET, Mar. 7/11 a.m. Local, Mar. 8
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), ESPN Cricket 2015 (US)
TV Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK)
New Zealand Looking For 5th Win in Succession
After dispatching of Sri Lanka and England with class and swagger, New Zealand had to dig deep against the Aussies. But that thrilling one-wicket proved they have the requisite underpinning fortitude to go far in this competition, and at this juncture, it’s difficult to see any side good enough to sap their burgeoning momentum.
Every facet of this team seems to be firing, but most encouraging is the form of skipper Brendon McCullum. As noted by Cricket Record, the captain is playing some of the best cricket of his career to date:
His aggressive hitting is complemented by an array of astute batsmen who give this team some exceptional balance, with the likes of Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor showcasing a patent for being adaptable to various situations. The bowling attack is arguably the finest in the tournament, too.
As McCullum himself noted in the aftermath of the winner over Australia, Tim Southee and Trent Boult—who have taken 13 and 10 wickets respectively already in the tournament to date, per ESPN cricinfo—are arguably the best opening bowling duo in the world at the moment:
After the manner in which Australia dispatched this Afghanistan team, this one could also be a landslide victory in favour of one of the tournament hosts. The Baggy Greens notched a batting total of 417/6 against the Associate nation, and if the Black Caps go into bat first here, we could be set for another gargantuan score.
As we can see courtesy of OptaJim, a score in excess of 400 wouldn’t be that big a surprise, given the standard of batting in the tournament to date:
The chances of a shock are minuscule for Afghanistan, but they do have a few players worth keeping an eye on. Dawlat Zadran is a fast bowler capable of taking wickets with his dangerous array of deliveries, while the effervescent Hamid Hassan is an astute, intelligent operator at the start and the end of the innings.
As noted by commentator Harsha Bhogle, it’s this section of their line-up that is probably the most impressive:
But it’s also an attack that got smashed for a record World Cup score by the Aussies in their previous match, and it’s difficult to see how they will avoid a similar fate against what is arguably a better side.
If the Black Caps bat first, it would be a fine effort from Afghanistan if they were to reduce the co-hosts to a score of circa 350.
A win for New Zealand looks a mere inevitability coming into this one, but there will be some Black Caps players hoping to get some runs under their belt with the knockout stages looming; there won’t be a better opportunity for some time out in the middle than this match should they bat first.
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