The Sheikh Zayed Stadium is a batting-friendly surface and is expected to assist the batters once again here. Pacers might get some benefit towards the latter half of the match while spinners may come in handy in the middle overs.
Average first innings score: 145
Head-to-head
New Zealand and Afghanistan are yet to face each other in T20Is.
STATS - T20
Total matches: 60
Matches won batting first: 27
Matches won bowling first: 33
Average 1st Inns scores: 141
Average 2nd Inns scores: 128
Highest total recorded: 225/7 (20 Ov) by IRE vs AFG
Lowest total recorded: 84/10 (18.2 Ov) by BAN vs RSA
Highest score chased: 166/6 (19.4 Ov) by HK vs AFG
Lowest score defended: 129/6 (20 Ov) by ENG vs PAK
Squads:
New Zealand Squad: Martin Guptill, Daryl Mitchell, Kane Williamson(c), Devon Conway(w), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Todd Astle, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Seifert, Mark Chapman
Afghanistan Squad: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad(w), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Gulbadin Naib, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi(c), Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Fareed Ahmad, Usman Ghani