Pakistan advanced to the semifinals after winning four consecutive games in group 2, while their arch-rival India had a poor start to the T20 World Cup 2021 campaign.  Thankfully, the Indian team easily defeated the Afghan team by 66 runs in their third match. With this win, India are still in contention for a semifinal berth. However, the match between Afghanistan and New Zealand will ultimately determine the second semifinalist in Group 2. The match preview of the Afghanistan vs. New Zealand match is discussed in this article.    Notable T20I Records of Afghanistan and New Zealand Here are some notable records of Afghanistan and New Zealand in Twenty20 International. Significant T20I records: Afghanistan and New Zealand    Afghanistan New Zealand Most Runs Mohammad Shahzad (2011) Martin Guptill (3,069) Highest Score Hazratullah Zazai (162*) Brendon McCullum (123) Most Fifties Mohammad Shahzad (13) Martin Guptill (20) Most Wickets Rashid Khan (100) Tim Southee (102) Best Bowling Figures Rashid Khan (5/3) Tim Southee (5/18) Highest Partnership Hazratullah Zazai & Usman Ghani (236) DP Conway & GD Phillips (184) Most Catches Mohammad Nabi (47) Martin Guptill (61) Most Dismissals Mohammad Shahzad (57) Brendon McCullum (32) Most Matches Mohammad Nabi (85) Martin Guptill (105) Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/ Read Dravid appointed Team India's new head coach Afghanistan Team    Afghanistan would have a huge test in the meeting against New Zealand. They must rejuvenate the team and need to identify an ideal playing XI, capable of posing a threat to New Zealand.    Afghanistan's bowling effort against India appeared to be ineffective because of the absence of off-spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman. Rashid khan, Naveen-ul-Haq, Sharafuddin Ashraf all were expensive in the match. They must resolve the issue prior to the match against the Blackcaps. Mujeeb will surely make a comeback against New Zealand, which would be a big concern for the Kiwi side.    Read India get first points, beat Afghanistan at T20 World Cup Predicted Playing XI: Hazratullah Zazai, Mohammad Shahzad (wicket-keeper), Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Usman Ghani, Mohammad Nabi (Captain), Najibullah Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Hamid Hassan New Zealand Team New Zealand batters fared well against Scotland. Particularly opener Martin Guptill had a good outing in the match. Therefore, they will go into the encounter against Afghanistan with full confidence. In comparison, New Zealand's bowling unit has shown more consistency and they must continue to do so again in this encounter as well. This might be a do-or-die encounter for the Kiwis, so they will give it everything they have got in this crucial battle.    Predicted Playing XI: Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Kane Williamson (C), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Todd Astle, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult. Read T20 World Cup: Imperious India post  210 vs Afghanistan  How AFG-NZ fixture would be the ultimate decider New Zealand and India have two games left, while Afghanistan have one game in hand in the Super 12 Round of the T20 World Cup 2021. New Zealand are anticipated to win over Namibia, but the match against Afghanistan will be difficult for them. The situation will change if New Zealand lose the match against Afghanistan.  On the other hand, India must win both of their remaining matches against Scotland and Namibia to be in contention for a semifinal berth. The team with the better run rates will advance to the semifinals if each of the three teams has six points.      Fixture: Afghanistan vs. New Zealand | Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi | Date: November 7  Read National Cricket: Khulna thrashes Dhaka with an innings defeat Verdict Afghanistan and New Zealand are now in second and third position in Group 2, however the fate of New Zealand in the competition is in their own hands. If they win the remainder of their Super 12 fixtures, they won't have to rely on the outcomes of other games. On the other hand, Afghanistan are ready to shatter their dream and they are more than capable of doing it. This will be one of the most exciting matches in the Super 12s of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021.       

New Zealand abandoned its cricket tour of Pakistan on Friday over security concerns that mystified the hosts, just before the Black Caps’ first scheduled match in Pakistan in 18 years. New Zealand Cricket said it received a security alert from its government and made the decision to cancel the tour moments before the scheduled start of the one-day international series in Rawalpindi. Both teams stayed at their hotel. “Following an escalation in the New Zealand government threat levels for Pakistan, and advice from NZC security advisers on the ground, it has been decided the Black Caps will not continue with the tour,” NZC said on its website. “Arrangements are now being made for the team’s departure.” NZC declined to comment on the nature of the security threat. The Pakistan Cricket Board said Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke personally to New Zealand counterpart Jacinda Ardern and informed her “we have one of the best intelligence systems in the world and that no security threat of any kind exists for the visiting team.” “The Pakistan Cricket Board and Pakistan government made foolproof security arrangements for all visiting teams. We have assured the New Zealand Cricket of the same.” PCB chairman Ramiz Raja hinted they will protest to the International Cricket Council against NZC’s unilateral decision. “Crazy day it has been! Feel so sorry for the fans and our players,” Raja tweeted. “Walking out of the tour by taking a unilateral approach on a security threat is very frustrating. Especially when it’s not shared!! Which world is NZ living in??NZ will hear us at ICC.” New Zealand was to play three ODIs in Rawalpindi and five Twenty20s in Lahore. Both cities and the security arrangements were cleared by NZC’s security team last month. NZC chief executive David White said the advice he received made the tour impossible to continue, and he was supported by the New Zealand Cricket Players Association. “I understand this will be a blow for the PCB, who have been wonderful hosts, but player safety is paramount and we believe this is the only responsible option,” White said. The PCB said it tried its best to convince the Kiwis, but “cricket lovers in Pakistan and around the world will be disappointed by this last minute withdrawal (of New Zealand).” Pakistan captain Babar Azam expressed his disappointment at the cancellation, while former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar tweeted: “NZ just killed Pakistan cricket.” England men’s and women’s teams are due in Pakistan for short two-match T20 series next month, and the England and Wales Cricket Board said it would make a final call on the tours this weekend. England’s men have not played an international in Pakistan since 2005 while the women are visiting for the first time. “We’re aware of New Zealand’s decision to pull out of the Pakistan tour due to a security alert,” the ECB said. “We are liaising with our security team who are on the ground in Pakistan to fully understand the situation. The ECB Board will then decide in the next 24-48 hours whether our planned tour should proceed.” Pakistan was a no go zone for international cricket teams for a decade after terrorists attacked the Sri Lanka team bus in Lahore in 2009. The ambush killed seven people and injured several Sri Lankan cricketers, including Thilan Samaraweera, who is among the New Zealand tour management as the batting coach. Since international teams resumed touring Pakistan in 2019, this is the first instance of a team having to abandon while in the country. “The players are in good hands,” New Zealand Cricket Players Association chief executive Heath Mills said. “They’re safe and everyone’s acting in their best interests.”

New Zealand have won the first ICC Test Championship after beating India in the final by 8 wickets on Wednesday at the Rose Bowl, Southampton. There was a reserve day for the championship match in case the rain interrupts during the play. Eventually, the match ended on the sixth day. New Zealand were superb on the final day and they were desperate to win the contest. It was a collective effort that guided New Zealand to win the most prestigious ICC tournament. This article discusses how New Zealand crowned champion after beating India in the inaugural edition of the ICC Test Championship final. ICC Test Championship Final Match Report  Rain disrupted every day of the ICC Test Championship Final between New Zealand and India, and the game was not even held on the first day. As a result, the match lasted till the reserve day.New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson opted to bowl first in a swinging condition at the Rose Bowl ground.  The Kiwi pacers were excellent in line and length in the first innings, with neither bowler conceding more than 3 runs per over. Especially, Kyle Jamieson was outstanding in terms of accuracy. He took five wickets for 31 runs, including Rohit Sharma, Rishab Pant, and Captain Virat Kohli. Read BAN vs AUS: How Ashraful, Shakib shocked Australia India were bowled out for 217 after playing 92.1 overs. Ajinkya Rahane was the top scorer (47) for team India, while Virat made 44 runs.  In response, New Zealand scored 249 runs to take a crucial 32-run lead over India in the first innings. Devon Conway led the way with 54 runs, while Captain Kane Williamson chipped in with 49. Fast Bowler Mohammad Shami picked up the highest 4 wickets for India. India had hoped to bat out the whole day on the final day but were bowled out for 170 after the drinks break in the second session. Rishab Pant scored the highest 41 runs for India, while Tim Southee claimed the most four wickets for New Zealand.  Read BAN vs Zim 2021: BCB May Use the Zimbabwe Series as an Opportunity to Find New Talents New Zealand had nearly 50 overs to reach the 139-run winning target. Thanks to 96* runs unbeaten stand between Kane Williamson (52) and Ross Taylor (47) guided New Zealand to the victory in the third session of the sixth day. Spinner Ravi Ashwin snatched both the wickets for India. Pacer Kyle Jamieson was named player of the match after taking seven wickets in the match. Top Performers in the Inaugural ICC Test Championship We saw some incredible performances and unforgettable matches over the course of the two-year-long ICC Test Championship. Here we mentioned some of the top performers in the inaugural edition of the tournament. Most Runs  Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne was the most runs scorer in the Test Championship tournament, He made 1,675 runs in 23 innings with an average of 72.82. England’s Joe Root (1,660) and Aussie middle-order batsman Steven Smith (1,341) came in second and third respectively on the list. Read Who was The Best Captain of Bangladesh Cricket team? Most Wickets India’s off-spinner Ravi Ashwin had the most wickets in the tournament. He picked up 71 wickets with an average of 20.33 in 26 innings. Australia’s Pat Cummins (70) and England’s Stuart Broad (69) were among the top three wicket-takers in the tournament. High Scores  Australia’s David Warner was the only player to score 300 runs in an innings in this tournament. His unbeaten 335* runs against Pakistan was the highest innings of the competition, followed by Zak Crawley (267) and Virat Kohli (254*). Best Bowling Figures  Lankan bowler Lasith Embuldeniya's 7/137 wickets haul against England was the best bowling figure in an innings in the championship. Ravi Ashwin (7/145) and Jasprit Bumrah (6/27) finished second and third respectively on the list. Read:DPL Super League: Abahani overpower Mohammedan Bottom Line  Before winning the Test championship, New Zealand’s biggest achievement on the international stage was winning the ICC Champions Trophy in 2000. The Kiwis played two back-to-back 50-over World Cup finals in 2015 and 2019 but lost both the finals against the arch-rivals Australia and England respectively. So, New Zealand were desperate to win a major ICC tournament prior to the ICC Test Championship Final against India, and they finally have done it. This New Zealand team is arguably the best ever in their cricket history and they deserve a lot of credit. Read BAN vs. ZIM 2021: Individual Milestones expected to Reach

The Ageas Bowl in Southampton will host the inaugural World Test Championship final between India and New Zealand from June 18-22. In the lead-up to the final, New Zealand will be locked in a Test match against England in Birmingham. This will definitely make New Zealand battle-ready before the final. At the same time, this will give the Kiwis a fair chance of ascending to the top of the ICC Test Match Team Rankings -- of course, if they win the Test against England. Let's analyse New Zealand's chances of being the world's top Test team Advantage Kiwis? New Zealand can climb to the top spot of the ICC Test Match Team Rankings only if they beat England in the second Test of the ongoing series. The first Test at the Lord's ended in a draw, where opener Devon Conway scored a double century and experienced pacer Tim Southee bagged six wickets in the first innings. One bad news is that New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has been ruled out of the second Test due to an elbow injury. Tom Latham will instead lead the Blackcaps in the series-deciding match against England. Will Young is likely to replace Kane Williamson in the playing XI. Read  Who is the favourite to win ICC Player of the Month Award for May? However, the New Zealand team management hopes that Kane Williamson will be ready for the World Test Championship final. This is essential as Kane Williamson has the potential to make a difference in the crucial championship match against India. With the exception of Kane Williamson, New Zealand have some outstanding cricketers who may cause problems for England. In addition to veteran Ross Taylor and Tim Southee, the team also has some great players like Tom Latham, Henry Nichols, Trent Bolt and Neil Wagner. New Zealand will have to put in a lot of effort to win the match against a highly competitive English team. On the other hand, India now lead the ICC Test team standings with 121 points. New Zealand are in the second place with only one point separating between the first and second positions. Winning the second match against England will increase New Zealand's ratings by four points, putting them in the first place in the ICC Test Match Team Rankings with 124 points.  Read International Fixtures Which Could Help Bangladesh's T20 World Cup Preparation India, in such a scenario, will drop to the second position. Australia is likely to move up to the third place. Among the other teams, Pakistan are ranked fifth in the ICC Test Match Team Rankings, followed by the West Indies and South Africa. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Zimbabwe are ranked eighth, ninth, and tenth, respectively. Among the players, Kane Williamson leads the ICC Test Rankings for batsmen. Australian pacer Pat Cummins leads the rankings for bowlers and West Indian player Jason Holder is the best Test all-rounder in the world, according to the latest ICC player rankings for the longer format of the game. Read Prime Doleshwar continue their winning run in DPL T20 2021 Verdict New Zealand would definitely want to win the series against England before facing India in the World Test Championship final. Defeating the host England will no doubt boost the confidence of the Kiwis.  Further, if New Zealand can play as the ICC's number one team, they will be psychologically ahead in the match against India. However, we can expect a fascinating clash because the top two teams are competing in the final, and hopefully, the best team will win the inaugural edition of the tournament. Read Mahmudullah, Rubel, Nurul Spark in DPL T20 2021

Bangladesh’s New Zealand tour in February next year will go on as planned, says Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) CEO Nizamuddin Chowdhury.