Match – Pakistan vs New Zealand – Match 19
Venue – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Time – 07:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT
Where to watch live – Star Sports Network
Pitch Report
The pitch in Sharjah has generally been slow and low. But the game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka turned out to be a high-scoring affair. The track, however, has continued to favour the team, batting second.
Average score: 142 (16 T20Is in Sharjah)
Record of Chasing teams: Won – 6, Lost – 9, Tied – 1
Probable Playing XIs
Pakistan
Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
Bench: Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr
New Zealand
Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson
Bench: Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Todd Astle, Kyle Jamieson
Mohammad Rizwan is currently going through a purple patch in international cricket. The right-hander has scored 831 runs in 15 T20I innings in 2021 at an incredible average of 103.87 and a strike rate of 140.37. Albeit he has scored two ducks this year, he has made up for it with one century and as many as eight half-centuries. The Kiwis need to get him out early.
Probable best bowler of the match
Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)
Lockie Ferguson was excellent when he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2021 Indian Premier League. In Sharjah he bowled fiery spells and picked wickets at regular intervals. Prior to the World Cup, he played one warm-up match against England and returned with figures of 3-0-19-1. If he finds his rhythm, Pakistan batters could find themselves in trouble.
