NZ vs AFG T20 World Cup 2026 LIVE Cricket Score: New Zealand meet Afghanistan in a crucial T20 World Cup 2026 clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai as the group of death gets to life. The Kiwis would want to avenge their loss of 2024, while the Afghans would look for another win.
Placed in a tough group, New Zealand and Afghanistan face each other in a high-stakes T20 World Cup 2026 clash on Sunday, February 8. The two teams kick their campaigns off in the World Cup with their meeting at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. This is a big match, considering they are in Group D, which also features South Africa, along with minnows UAE and Canada. This is the group of death in the T20 World Cup 2026, as a maximum of only two of the three potential semifinalists can make it through to the Super Eight stage, with at least one failing to progress further. This makes this clash a pretty important one, and even South Africa would be glued to watch the match taking place in Chennai, traditionally known as the spin hub, but has now shown fewer signs of spin in the last few years.
Afghanistan and New Zealand met each other in the 2024 World Cup too, when the Afghans famously defeated New Zealand in what was another group of death that featured the West Indies, as the Kiwis failed to make it to the next stage. They would eye redemption now in what is their first meeting against the Rashid Khan-led team in any format since that game. The Kiwis are hit by injury concerns to a few players, with Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway having suffered illness, while Michael Bracewell and Lockie Ferguson are managing calf issues. Meanwhile, Finn Allen is also nursing a shoulder injury that he picked up against India. Afghanistan have won six of the seven matches heading into this World Cup, while New Zealand lost their last T20I series to India 4-1 ahead of the World Cup. Follow for all the updates on this clash.ย
Match Scorecard
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