Pakistan and New Zealand are set to face one another in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru, India, on Saturday in a match of the utmost importance as the winner between them will become a strong contender to qualify for the semi-final.
Pakistan made a comeback in the tournament after suffering four consecutive defeats — against India, Australia, Afghanistan, and South Africa — as they beat Bangladesh by seven wickets in their last match in Kolkata. On the other hand, despite a bright start and having four out of four wins at one point, the Black Caps suffered three consecutive defeats — India, Australia and South Africa.
A defeat to either of the teams tomorrow would seriously damage their chances of playing the event's semi-final, Pakistan especially since they are not just behind in net run rate (NRR) but now also have to rely on Afghanistan's matches after Hashmatullah Shahidi's men clinched a significant win against the Netherlands on Friday.
Pakistan is likely to play with four pacers considering the favourable pacey conditions in Bengaluru but the decision will be taken after closely mentoring the pitch and weather conditions tomorrow. They only have two players — Shadab Khan and Imam-ul-Haq — who remain a doubt for tomorrow's clash while the Black Caps will be without pacer Matt Henry, and the participation of Lockie Ferguson, Kane Williamson and Mark Chapman remain a doubt.
Pitch report
The pitch at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium supports batters as it is easy to score runs there because of short boundaries and quick outfield. The surface in Bengaluru is also favoured for pacers but looking at tomorrow's weather forecast, where there's a 50% chance of rain, especially during the second half of the game, winning the toss would be key.
Head-to-head record
The two sides have faced each other nine times in the ODI World Cup history with Pakistan emerging winners seven times. New Zealand's highest total against the Green Shirts is 302, while Pakistan's highest is 281. Overall, Pakistan and the Kiwis have played one another 115 times in one-day cricket and the Men in Green leads there as well with 60 wins as compared to the Black Caps' 51.
Probable lineups
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Mohammad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee/Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult.