ICC World Cup, NZ vs AFG: Weather and pitch report
New Zealand will aim to continue their winning run in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup when they face Afghanistan on October 18 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Afghanistan will also be high on confidence after beating defending champions England in their last match. Also, the pitch in Chennai will favor Afghanistan spinners. One expects a fierce contest.
The pitch will aid spinners
MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai will need batters to be patient. Pacers could enjoy some seam and swing at the start and reverse swing toward the end. Slower deliveries can be a key aspect. Spinners will get help from this wicket. The average run rate for teams batting first here is 5.17. Teams batting first have won 14 times (L11).
Here's the weather report
As per reports, Chennai is expected to witness clear skies with a peak temperature hovering around 32 degrees Celsius in the afternoon and lowering to around 29 degrees Celsius towards the evening. Conditions will be humid toward the evening.
NZ 2-0 Afghanistan
New Zealand and Afghanistan have faced each other in two ODI matches. Both clashes have been dominated by the Kiwis. They first played against Afghanistan in 2015, and their second match against them came four years later in 2019 at Taunton. Both matches were played in the ODI World Cups.
A look at the stadium stats - Chepauk
Asia XI have posted the highest team total here at Chepauk (337/7 versus Africa XI in 2007). Kenya's score of 69 versus New Zealand in 2011 is the lowest score at this venue. Virat Kohli owns the most runs here with 422 at an average of 46.88. With the ball, Mohammad Rafique (Asia XI/Bangladesh) has the most wickets here (8).
