Afghanistan will be high on confidence when they take on undefeated New Zealand at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai today after pulling off the first upset in the ongoing ICC World Cup against defending Champions England in their previous match.

And the pitch in Chennai, which is expected to suit them more than the Kiwis, can provide another opportunity for Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Rashid Khan spin duo to shock the last edition's runners-up.

Afghanistan's shock win over defending champions provided some spice to the mega event and has given the side a new stature and, thus, New Zealand would not underestimate Hashmatullah Shahidi's side.

New Zealand are going great guns in the tournament, having won all three matches so far and are currently placed second on the points table, trailing India on net run rate. Afghanistan, meanwhile, would be keen to create another big upset and put their World Cup campaign firmly on track.

Afghanistan had an inauspicious start to their campaign after losing to Bangladesh and India before leaving Jos Buttler's England in a tizzy with a memorable 69-run win in New Delhi on Sunday.

Wicketkeeper-batter Tom Latham will again lead New Zealand after their charismatic skipper Kane Williamson suffered a fracture on his left thumb during their match against Bangladesh and was ruled out for a few games.

Despite the huge setback, the Kiwis would be banking on their success so far to win their fourth game on the trot against an unpredictable Afghanistan.

It would be interesting to see if pacer Tim Southee finally gets a chance to feature in the mega event, having recovered from a thumb injury, although his match fitness has remained an issue.

The Kiwis will rely heavily on their top-order comprising Will Young, Devon Conway and Daryl Mitchell, while all-rounder Rachin Ravindra, with his impactful performances across departments, will also be the player to watch.

New Zealand batters would certainly have analysed the Afghan spin trio of Mujeeb, Rashid and Mohammed Nabi, given they accounted for eight England wickets.

As for the Afghanistan batting, opener Rahmanullah Gurbaz is the man in form, having scored 50-plus in two matches so far, while the likes of skipper Shahidi, Azmatullah Omarzai and Ikram Alikhil could come in handy as well.

While Trent Boult and Matt Henry's soaring pace will be feared by the Afghan batters, their main challenge could come from the spin duo of Ravindra and Mitchell Santner, with the latter being the most successful slow bowler in the competition so far.

Statbox

*The sides only met twice in the ODIs – in the 2015 World Cup and 2019 World Cup -- and New Zealand sealed comfortable win each time.

*Among the players in their current squads, New Zealand's Trent Boult and Kane Williamson and Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi and Najibullah Zadran played on both occasions.

*Afghanistan are yet to play at Chennai's MA Chidambaram Stadium, while New Zealand won two -- against Bangladesh and Kenya -- of their four matches at the venue.