NZ vs PAK Match Preview
New Zealand will be at full strength apart from Daryl Mitchell, who was ruled out with a fractured finger and is highly doubtful for the T20 World Cup either. In his absence, we think New Zealand is going to start with Martin Guptill and Finn Allen at the top followed by Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, and Glenn Phillips in the middle order.
New Zealand's bowling attack is quite formidable and will likely feature Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, and Tim Southee with Ish Sodhi as the leg-spin option.
Mohammad Rizwan bailed out Pakistan once more with his 6th fifty in 8 matches. The man is just unbelievably consistent in this format and has been for quite some time now. We don't expect too many changes in the lineup for Pakistan.
They will struggle to get big scores and their bowling will have to do the bulk of the worlk.
Weather Report
The conditions were cold but dry. The same is expected for the second match as well.
Pitch Report
he pitch at the Hagley Oval was not as fast as it usually is. There was some extra bounce and the large outfield made hitting boundaries tougher as well. 160-170 seems like a par score at the venue.
Notable stats
Conditions Matter
Pakistan has 15 out of the 25 T20 internationals it has played against New Zealand but if just look at the matches played in New Zealand then its 7-5 in favor of New Zealand.
Team News
Both teams will want to fine-tune their team balance before the T20 World Cup. You could see some experiments and some players being rotated to keep them fresh.
NZ vs PAK Probable 11
NZ Playing 11
- Martin Guptill
- Finn Allen (Wk)
- Devon Conway
- Kane Williamson (C)
- Glenn Phillips
- Jimmy Neesham
- Mitchel Santner
- Tim Southee
- Trent Boult
- Lockie Ferguson
- Ish Sodhi
PAK Playing 11
- Mohammad Rizwan (Wk)
- Babar Azam (C)
- Shan Masood
- Haider Ali
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Asif Ali
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Shadab Khan
- Mohammad Wasim Jr
- Haris Rauf
- Shahnawaz Dahani
Dream11 Prediction
We think this is likely to be close contest between two teams with excellent bowling attacks but in the end, New Zealand should have enough to emerge victorious.
Top Picks
Trent Boult - In conditions that are traditionally helpful, someone like Trent Boult will be crucial with the new ball. His battle against the Pakistani openers will be crucial.
Shadab Khan - We think Shadab Khan could be used up the order to pinch hit or in the powerplay to keep a lid on the batters. The big outfield makes him very dangerous.
Devon Conway - Perhaps one of the most dangerous batters in world cricket when playing in home conditions. Conway is aggressive and consistent. He is also our pick for captain.
NZ vs PAK Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: D Conway (C), M Rizwan (VC), F Allen
Batters: M Guptill, B Azam, S Masood
All-rounders: J Neesham, S Khan
Bowlers: T Boult, L Ferguson, H Rauf
