New Zealand captain and star batter Kane Williamson has lavished praise on the Afghanistan cricket team, describing them as “one of the better bowling sides in the competition” ahead of their T20 World Cup clash. The Black Caps will kick off their quest for a maiden T20 World Cup title with a challenging match in Guyana against Afghanistan, a team they have only faced once in this format before. That previous encounter, which took place three years ago in Abu Dhabi, resulted in a comfortable win for Williamson’s side. However, Afghanistan has made significant strides in white-ball cricket since then, with their players gaining valuable experience from various franchise T20 tournaments around the world, reports Cricket Live Score.
“Certainly a number of players in their side… I mean, all of the players, to be honest, they have such a skillful team, one of the better bowling attacks, I think, in the competition,” Williamson said on the eve of the game. Among the highly-skilled players in the Afghanistan team is captain and T20 superstar Rashid Khan, with whom Williamson has shared a dressing room in the IPL, both at Gujarat Titans and previously at Sunrisers Hyderabad. “Obviously, Rashid’s been around for a while now, although still a young man, but an extremely gifted world-class player. But there are a number of other players in their side throughout, really, that make them an exciting team and a real challenge,” Williamson added.
The New Zealand skipper enters the World Cup without much T20 cricket under his belt. His last T20I appearance was against Pakistan in January, where he suffered a hamstring strain that sidelined him for the rest of the series. Limited opportunities in the IPL also meant he only batted twice, scoring 27 runs from 27 balls.
Another crucial player for New Zealand, Devon Conway, is also coming back after a lengthy injury break. Conway, a regular in all formats for the Black Caps, hasn’t played since February due to a thumb injury sustained while keeping wickets in a T20I against Australia at Eden Park. This injury caused him to miss the entire IPL 2024 season, where he would have been a key player for the Chennai Super Kings.
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