PAK vs NZ Match Preview
Babar Azam was in prime form hitting his 9th hundred in T20 games to take Pakistan to a big total. Only Chris Gayle has hit more hundreds in T20 matches. He was well-supported by Mohammad Rizwan who also scored a fifty in the game. Iftikar Ahmed hit an unbeaten 33 from 19 balls with Pakistan once again setting an above-average total on the board. Both Rizwan and Babar Azam made up for their failure in the first game with a superb opening wicket partnership. They took their time to settle down but caught up with the run rate and nearly took it to 10 runs per over
There was a cluster of wickets that fell after the opening wicket partnership for Pakistan. This threatened a derailment of the Pakistan innings. But we saw Babar Azam and Iftikar Ahmed smashing 87 runs from 43 balls to take Pakistan to a commanding position once again. Babar Azam slowed down a bit after the initial frenzy. It didn’t look like he would manage to score a hundred at one stage. With 3 overs to go, he was still 35 runs short. But he managed to get there with some lusty blows in the last over against Neesham.
In response to this huge total, the New Zealand outfit provided a more realistic attempt at playing to their potential than compared to the first match of the series. We got to see a super inning from Mark Chapman leading the run chase for New Zealand. He showcased both his long-range hitting capability with technical skills. Chapman hit 65 runs from 40 balls but it was just a solo effort from the New Zealander. But he kept the hope going for the Kiwis till the end. However, the damage caused by Haris Rauf from the other end was too hot to handle.
Haris Rauf followed the career-best effort from the first game with another terrific display of seam bowling. He ripped through the Kiwi middle order and ended any hopes that the visitors had of making a match of it with a 4 for 27 effort. The Pakistan middle order wobbled again in the middle overs after a brilliant start with Matt Henry once again finding himself on the brink of another hattrick. But Saim Ayub kept the ball out and denied consecutive hattricks to Matt Henry. New Zealand was suddenly into the match in this mid-inning crisis.
Weather Report
We are likely to get a sunny day tomorrow in Lahore. Although the game will be played in the evening under lights, you can expect warm and dry conditions during the match. The temperatures for this game will be close to 39 degrees. The relative humidity for the game will be close to 12% and there is some chance of getting cloud cover in the game. No chance of getting any rain interruption for this game.
Pitch Report
The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore was host to the final game of the Pakistan Super League for the 2023 season. This game was played between Multan Sultans and Lahore Qalandars last month. The pitch has held firm during this game and the first two games of Pakistan vs New Zealand series. So, the wicket will be a batting-friendly one for the most part. Batsmen can play their shots through the line. However, the quick bowlers will get some assistance from the track with some swing early on. But that apart, the spinners will have to keep on mixing their deliveries to ensure variations in their bowling to try and not get hammered.
Notable stats
Daryl Mitchell has had a terrific strike rate for New Zealand in recent games.
In his last appearances for New Zealand, Daryl Mitchell scored 223 runs with an excellent strike rate of 142.94.
Haris Rauf is bowling with an excellent strike rate.
Haris Rauf has picked up 13 wickets from his last 7 games for Pakistan with a strike rate of 11.76.
Team News
There do not seem to be any injury worries for either team at the moment. Therefore, the full teams will be available for selection for this game.
PAK vs NZ Probable 11
PAK Playing 11
- Mohammad Rizwan (Wk)
- Babar Azam (C)
- Fakhar Zaman
- Saim Ayub
- Imad Wasim
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Shadab Khan
- Faheem Ashraf
- Shaheen Shah Afridi
- Haris Rauf
- Zaman Khan
NZ Playing 11
- Tom Latham (C)
- Chad Bowes
- Will Young
- Mark Chapman
- Daryl Mitchell
- James Neesham
- Rachin Ravindra
- Cole McConchie
- Henry Shipley
- Matt Henry
- Ben Lister
Dream11 Prediction
After this top performance in the first couple of games, it will be tough to bet against Pakistan in this match. New Zealanders are fighters and will try and make a comeback in this game to reduce the lead taken by Pakistan. However, Pakistan is playing a full side and the Kiwis are a much-depleted side in the series. We will bet with Pakistan to win this encounter and take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.
Top Picks
Adam Milne: Adam Milne has picked up 10 wickets in his last 6 games for New Zealand with a super strike rate of 13.20.
Daryl Mitchell: Daryl Mitchell is striking the ball well at the moment scoring his runs with a strike rate of 142.94.
Babar Azam: Azam hit a brilliant hundred in the last game and has scored 230 runs for Pakistan in his last 7 matches.
Haris Rauf: Haris Rauf bowled well in both the games played so far in the series picking up a 4-fer in both.
PAK vs NZ Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: T Latham , M Rizwan
Batters: B Azam (C), M Chapman, D Mitchell, F Zaman
All-rounders: J Neesham, I Wasim
Bowlers: A Milne, S Afridi, H Rauf (VC)
