Afghanistan Playing XI vs New Zealand- T20 World Cup 2026, Match 4- Gurbaz opens, Noor Ahmad in

Afghanistan Playing XI vs New Zealand [Source: X]

New Zealand are set to face Afghanistan in the fourth match of the T20 World Cup 2026. The contest will be played at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 8 and will go live for fans at 11:00 AM IST.

Afghanistan vs New Zealand Preview

Afghanistan head into the clash in strong form after securing back-to-back warm-up victories against Scotland and West Indies. They also won the T20I series against West Indies 2-1 ahead of the warm-ups, setting a confident tone for their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign.

New Zealand meanwhile, will open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against Afghanistan after registering a convincing win over the USA in a warm-up fixture. However, the Mitchell Santner-led side will be keen to bounce back and find momentum after suffering a 4-1 defeat in the recent T20I series against India.

Afghanistan Playing XI vs New Zealand- Match 4, T20 World Cup 2026

Openers and Top Order: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli

After a successful warm-up encounter with Scotland and the West Indies, Afghanistan would like to continue with Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran for the opening combination, followed by Sediqullah Atal and Darwish Rasooli.

While Gurbaz has been in top form with an average of 49.00 in the Zimbabwe series, and Zadran has had an average of 41.67 and a strike rate of 119.37 as an opener in T20Is, Afghanistan cannot go wrong with this combo.

Atal and Rasooli will be good cushions to absorb any early shock at the top, as seen in their recent performances. Sediqullah Atal scored 62 in the West Indies series, while Rasooli bagged an impressive 156 off his 3 appearances in the same series.

Middle Order and All Rounders: Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib and Rashid Khan (c)

The middle order of Afghanistan will consist of explosive firepower. With Azmatullah Omarzai at No. 5, Mohammad Nabi, the veteran gun batter of Afghanistan, will come in at No. 6 to accelerate a drowsy middle over phase.

Nabi boasts a strike rate of 131.43 at No. 6 and will be complemented by Gulbadin Naib. Though a bit docile in recent form, Naib will be key to rescuing Afghanistan’s innings during crucial chases or during tricky total posting.

Rashid Khan, the skipper and one of the world’s best mystery spinners, will bat at No. 8. Though he is known for his spin action, his occasional pinch hitting have led his team to many wins in T20 cricket.

Bowlers: Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Ziaur Rahman

The pace attack of Afghanistan will be led by Fazalhaq Farooqi and Ziaur Rahman. Gulbadin Naib will come in as an all-rounder support alongside Azmatullah Omarzai in the pace battery.

Noor Ahmad will get the nod over Mujeeb Ur Rahman to lead the spin department alongside Rashid Khan. The left-arm wrist spinner and legbreak googly will be enough to disturb the Kiwi batting lineup on the Chennai pitch.

Afghanistan Playing XI vs New Zealand- Match 4, T20 World Cup 2026- Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Ibrahim Zadran, Sediqullah Atal, Darwish Rasooli, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan (c), Noor Ahmad, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ziaur Rahman