NZ vs AFG, World Cup 2023: Shahidi factors out staff’s batting loopholes, Latham cautious of Afghan bowling assault

Afghanistan should still be basking within the glory after its historic 69-run win over England within the ongoing World Cup, however skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi didn’t shrink back from addressing his staff’s underlying points.

Speaking to the media forward of the match towards New Zealand right here on Tuesday, Shahidi mentioned, “I’m not completely satisfied with our batting as back-to-back wickets had put us under pressure in the first two games, and even against England.

“We discussed the problem and agreed that we needed to improve on this area by not crumbling under pressure,” he added.

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Afghanistan misplaced six wickets for simply 76 runs towards England in its final match after a robust begin by openers Ibrahim Zadran and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

“We are doing very well in the top-order but must also show responsibility in the middle-order. We need to be mentally strong, and everyone, particularly the middle-order batters, need to perform if we are to win,” mentioned Shahidi.

“The first two games didn’t go our way, but we still had the belief. The win over England will give a lot of confidence to our team,” he added.

Although the Afghans will play their first worldwide match in Chennai, Shahidi feels his staff has an edge. “We have spent the last two to three years in India and are accustomed to the conditions. We spent nearly 40 days in Chennai preparing for the 2019 World Cup, so all of this gives us a lot of advantages, especially in these conditions similar to Afghanistan,” he mentioned.

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Meanwhile, New Zealand captain Tom Latham has backed his facet to make it 4 wins on the trot. “We’re doing everything we can to prepare for this weekend and execute our plan as best we can, and if we do that to the best of our ability, we know we’ll be a difficult team to beat on our day,” mentioned Latham.

That mentioned, Latham is cautious of the Afghan bowling assault. “Afghanistan has some fantastic bowlers on their side. Not only their spinners but their seamers are going to be a challenge.”

“[I] Spoke with the guys that have played with and against them in the IPL. So trying to get as much information as possible,” added the Kiwis skipper.