ICC U-19 World Cup 2018: Afghanistan face NZ with an eye on semis

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Christchurch, January 24: New Zealand will take on Afghanistan in Christchurch on Thursday (January 25) with a place in the Super League semifinals of the ICC U19 World Cup at stake.

There's a fascinating encounter in store in this quarterfinal as unbeaten hosts New Zealand meet many pundits' dark-horse bet for the title, Afghanistan, whose team boasts two players - Mujeeb Zadran and captain Naveen-ul-Haq - with senior international experience.

Afghanistan began their campaign by upsetting Pakistan, defeating their neighbours by five wickets with 15 balls remaining.

They then beat Sri Lanka in a rain-affected contest in Whangarei, prevailing by 32 runs on the DLS method to confirm their place in the quarterfinals.

Disappointment was to follow in their third match, though, as they were narrowly beaten by a previously winless Ireland team - by just four runs with four balls to spare.

The result saw Afghanistan finish second to Pakistan in Group D - hence this quarterfinal tie versus the unbeaten Black Caps.

For New Zealand, playing on home turf, it's been straightforward so far. After dominant displays to register wins over the West Indies, by eight wickets, and Kenya, by 243 runs, they faced their biggest challenge of the group stage in their third game, against South Africa, in a straight shootout to win the group.

They passed the test with flying colours with a stellar all-round performance from Rachin Ravindra.