PAK vs NZ Match Preview- ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Match 19

Pakistan and New Zealand lock horns in the 19th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 on Tuesday at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The two teams have played against each other in 24 T20 internationals, out of which Pakistan have managed to win on 14 occasions. New Zealand, on the other hand, have won 10 times. Here’s a look at how these two sides shape up ahead of a big encounter.

PAK vs NZ Match Preview- ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Match 19

Pakistan

On Sunday, Pakistan finally won their first match against India in the history of the T20 World Cup, and that too in some style. Ahead of the start of the 24^th match between India and Pakistan, India went in as favourites. However, the Men in Green were stunned Virat Kohli and Co. at Dubai International Stadium, outclassing them in all departments. Pakistan were right on the money right from the ball one.

Their prominent paceman, Shaheen Shah Afridi set the tone with a beautiful spell in the powerplay. He bowled two heart-warming inswingers to get rid of KL Rahul and Rohit Sharma inside the first three overs of the innings. Virat Kohli stood firm at the other end but Pakistan didn’t let the foot off the pedal and maintained constant pressure throughout the innings. The bowlers kept the bowling tight lengths and didn’t give any easy runs to India.

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Shadab Khan never allowed the batsmen to break free in the middle overs as he bowled tight lengths and enticed the batsmen to go for the big shots. Rishabh Pant fell into his trap eventually only to throw away the momentum. Khan finished his figures with 1 for 22 in 4 overs. Their death over bowling also was as good as in the other phases of the innings, thanks to a sensational spell from Haris Rauf.

The Pakistan seamer made great use of his deceptive slower balls and Indian batsmen had no answers to that. Rauf gave away only 25 runs in his four overs despite bowling all his four overs in the latter half of the innings. Shaheen Shah Afridi was the standout bowler for them, finishing with figures of 3 for 31. Pakistan, as a result of that, restricted India to 151 runs in the first innings.

The opening duo of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan made a blistering start and didn’t allow India to get early wickets. The duo played the ball on its merit, ensuring that they sent the bad balls to the boundary ropes.

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan stayed unbeaten on 68(52) and 79 (55) and helped Pakistan chase down the score in 17.5 overs. They will be facing their next game against New Zealand and would be keen to earn their second consecutive win.

New Zealand

New Zealand will begin their ICC T20 World Cup 2021 campaign in a Super 12 encounter against Pakistan on Tuesday. They would have seen how Pakistan played the game against India and would look to make strategies accordingly. They have got a great top-order to counter Pakistan’s bowling unit. Martin Guptill is coming into the game on the back of two solid knocks in the warm-up fixtures.

He will be partnering with Devon Conway for the opening slot. Devon Conway has been making headlines since his debut for the Blackcaps. His records in T20 cricket has been nothing short of outstanding. Without a doubt, he will be the most important batsman after Kane Williamson in the batting lineup. Kane Williamson is the one who will do the anchor role. He knows how to perform on the big stage and is expected to come good in this edition as well. At number four will be T20’s new sensation, Glenn Phillips.

Glenn Phillips has been playing in numerous franchise cricket tournaments for the last few years now. He has been a sensation in the shortest format and could prove to be the X-Factor for the side. New Zealand’s only concern is the lack of a finisher. They have got the likes of Mark Chapman and Jimmy Neesham, however, you don’t expect consistent performances from them.

The presence of Tim Southee, Trent Boult, and Lockie Ferguson makes New Zealand a formidable bowling unit. Besides, Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi would share the spin bowling duties.