PAK vs NZ Match Preview- 4th T20I, 2024

The PAK vs NZ fourth T20I will be played in Christchurch on Friday, January 19. The match begins at 11.40 am IST. The final T20I will also be played in Christchurch on Sunday. 

The Black Caps posted a formidable total of 224/7 in 20 overs in Dunedin on Wednesday, January 17. Finn Allen scored 137 runs off 62 deliveries, including five boundaries and 16 sixes. In response, the New Zealand bowlers restricted the opposition to a score of 179/7.

Allen plundered the Pakistan bowling attack who seemed hapless in front of his attacking strokeplay. He almost single-handedly took the match away from the visitors. Since 2022, Pakistan hasn’t won a single T20I series, having lost to Australia, England, and even Afghanistan. This T20I series loss under Shaheen Afridi will hurt the management. 

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The CB after their World Cup debacle changed the entire administration and the leadership. Shaheen and Shan Masood were named T20I and Test captains as Babar Azam stepped down from the leadership role across formats. Shaheen himself was not influential in the first three games with the former Pakistan cricketers cursing the administration after the series loss. 

Heading into the final two games, Pakistan are looking to avoid a clean sweep. The Kiwis, on the other hand, want to keep the pressure and go for a series win. The team without their regular skipper Kane Williamson has been able to keep the opposition under pressure with their players responding. 

PAK vs NZ Match Preview- 4th T20I, 2024

New Zealand 

The Kiwis have already won the series winning the first three games. Heading into the fourth game, they will expect the same fireworks from Allen’s bat. Williamson’s was not felt at all by the hosts in the last match. There is also an option of Will Young opening the batting. 

From the bowling perspective, the management has been willing to rotate the bowlers around. Having secured the series, senior pacer Tim Southee might be rested as per reports and Ben Sears is likely to get another chance. New Zealand have been flawless with their approach in the first three games and are likely to keep up with their attacking approach. 

New Zealand Squad

Finn Allen, Mark Chapman, Josh Clarkson, Devon Conway (wk), Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mitchell Santner (C), Ben Sears, Tim Seifert (wk), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee

Pakistan 

Pakistan will need their bowlers to come up with a better performance. In the first three games, they have asked their batters to chase almost impossible targets. The lack of an experienced spinner like Shadab Khan in the lineup is hurting the team. Senior bowlers Shaheen and Haris need to step up in the remaining two games for their team.

From a batting perspective, Babar Azam has scored three consecutive fifties. However, the other batters have not contributed as much as they would have liked to. The visitors despite the series loss must stick with the same XI and back them to deliver in the fourth game. 

Pakistan Squad

Shaheen Afridi (c), Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Haseebullah Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Aamer Jamal, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Nawaz, Abrar Ahmed (Withdrawn), Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

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