Brendon McCullum-Daniel Vettori
Brendon McCullum-Daniel Vettori Getty

New Zealand will take on Afghanistan in a Group A clash of the 2015 ICC World Cup at McLean Park, Napier, on Sunday.

Where to Watch Live

The match starts at 10pm GMT (on Saturday). Live coverage is on Sky Sports 2 and Sky Sports 2 HD. Click here for the live streaming link.

Overview

After a break of over one week, New Zealand are back into action after being the first team to seal the spot in the knockout stages of the tournament. The Black Caps have managed four wins in the first four games.

In the last fixture, Brendon McCullum saw his side manage a narrow one-wicket victory over co-hosts Australia at Auckland. Michael Clarke's side were bowled out for 151 runs, with Trent Boult picking up five wickets.

In reply, the New Zealand skipper gave a very good start with a quick fifty from 24 deliveries. However, following his dismissal, the host side lost wickets at regular intervals and six runs short of their target with only one wicket in hand.

Kane Williamson's unbeaten innings of 45 helped New Zealand manage a win over their neighbours.

Meanwhile, Afghanistan suffered a 257-run defeat at the hands of Australia on Wednesday. The co-host nation posted a huge total of 417 runs and in reply, Afghanistan were bowled out for 142 runs.

Prediction

New Zealand to win

What They Say

Tim Southee (New Zealand bowler): "Whether it's the overhead conditions or the balls are staying in reasonable condition, I'm can't put my finger on it. The white ball hasn't swung for a long time but we've managed to get it swinging when it's 15 overs old. But there will be times when it doesn't swing so we'll need to find other ways to get wickets."

Betting Odds (888Sport.com)

  • New Zealand to win: 1/100
  • Afghanistan to win: 16

Team News

New Zealand

Possible XI: Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum (C), Kane Williamson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi (WK), Daniel Vettori, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Trent Boult

Afghanistan

Possible XI: Javed Ahmadi, Nawroz Mangal, Asghar Stanikzai, Samiullah Shenwari, Mohammad Nabi (c), Najibullah Zadran, Afsar Zazai (wk), Aftab Alam, Dawlat Zadran, Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran

New Zealand Afghanistan