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Afghanistan might have arrived at the World Cup as bit of a mystery to many cricket fans, but not to New Zealand coach Mike Hesson.

In his stint with Kenya, Hesson coached against Afghanistan, the Black Caps' next opponents.

He has also seen plenty of them in matches against other ICC associate nations.

"They have three guys who bowl over 140 [km/h] and they can swing it," he said.

"Generally, their batsmen don't die wondering. It should be a good contest. We have to show them due respect and make sure we put in a good performance."

The squad from a war-torn country, which has had a national cricket team for only 15 years, have provided a World Cup story to capture the imagination.

After a disappointing start for the tournament novices against Bangladesh, they ran Sri Lanka close before beating Scotland in a thriller in Dunedin, getting home by one wicket with three balls to spare.

Their three main quicks - Shapoor Zadran, Dawlat Zadran and Hamid Hassan - all got among the wickets against the Scots, with Shapoor taking 4-38.

Afghanistan next have the tough task of trying to match it against a wounded Australia in Perth on Wednesday.

They then head back across the Tasman to take on the Black Caps in Napier next Sunday.

Originally posted here:
Afghanistan familiar foes for Hesson