Afghanistan wins toss, bats against New Zealand at T20 World Cup
Published on Sunday, 8 February 2026 at 7:24 pm
Chennai, India — Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan called correctly at the coin flip and wasted no time in choosing to bat first against New Zealand in Sunday’s T20 World Cup Group D clash at Chepauk, a decision he hopes will allow his spinners to exploit a wearing surface later in the evening.
The fixture is the first meeting between the sides since Afghanistan’s shock 84-run triumph over the Black Caps at the 2024 tournament in Guyana, and it arrives inside a section already labelled the competition’s “group of death.” Alongside Afghanistan and New Zealand, Group D houses last edition’s finalist South Africa as well as associate nations Canada and the United Arab Emirates, with only two quarter-final berths on offer.
New Zealand, in India for the past month, has been forced to shuffle its pack after a spate of injuries and illnesses struck the squad. In contrast, Afghanistan fields a full-strength XI and enters the contest as favourite. Rashid, who needs four more wickets to become the first bowler in history to reach 700 T20 scalps, underscored the value of experience at the toss.
“We have a good bowling lineup and I hope it’ll help spin later on,” he said. “We’ve played a lot of ICC events and it’s just about playing smart cricket and using experience.”
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner, leading a side featuring three specialist seamers in Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson and Jacob Duffy, believes the grassy sheen on the pitch could aid his quicks during the day game.
The tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, began on Saturday with wins for Pakistan, India and the West Indies.
Afghanistan: Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Gulbadin Naib, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (captain), Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ziaur Rahman, Mujeeb Ur Rahman
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Tim Seifert, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (captain), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Lockie Ferguson, Jacob Duffy
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Source: abcnews
