NZ vs AFG: Afghanistan Wins The Toss and Decides to Bat

NZ vs AFG: Kiwis to Bowl first against Afghanistan in the Fourth Match of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

New Zealand and Afghanistan will kickoff thir campaign in the tenth edition of the T20 World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. Both teams would look to start the tournament with a win in the NZ vs AFG game and gain momentum for the matches to come.

Contents

If we talk about the composition of both teams, as is the case with Afghanistan, the Rashid Khan-led side will rely on its spinners to do the bulk of the damage on a wicket that is expected to assist the slow bowlers.

New Zealand, on the other hand, would bank on its captain Mitchell Santner to come good, given the amount of experience he has of playing in India and would look to use it to the team’s advantage.

NZ vs AFG: Captains Speak

Opting to bat first after winning the toss, Rashid said it is a fresh wicket, and the team will look to put runs on the board and give a good platform for the bowling attack to capatalize on, which comprises three spinners in the form of the captain himself, Mohammad Nabi and Mujeeb ur Rahman and three fast bowlers as well.

Rashid’s counterpart, Mitchell Santner, on the other hand, was unsure about the decision when asked about what had he done if New Zealand had won the toss. He also added that the BlackCaps have had good preparation wth a warmup game in Mumbai, which was preceded by a five-match T20I series against India. As far as the combination of the team is concerned, it consists of three fast bowlers and one specialist spinner.

NZ vs AFG: Playing XI

New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert (wk), Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy

Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (c), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Ziaur Rahman Sharifi

NZ vs AFG: Pitch Report for Match Four of the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026

When it comes to the nature of the wicket used for the NZ vs AFG game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai, it will have something in it for the spinners, making Afghanistan slight favourites to win the match, given the number of spinners they have at their disposal. Along with the spinner,s the pacers will also get some assistance from the surface if they pitch the ball in the right areas, meaning that the batters might not be able to play attacking cricket right from the first ball and will have to give themselves some time to get used to the pace and bounce of the pitch.