Pakistan pacers up against Kiwi batting power
New Zealand and Pakistan will have much to prove when the two teams meet in today’s T20 Cricket World Cup semi final in Sydney.
Not many gave the Kiwis a rating to come this far and their entry into the semi finals has only reinforced the fact that what matters most is what takes place on the field of play and not on paper.
For too long have New Zealand tripped at the post unable to cross the line and the 2022 T20 World Cup gives them a chance to put back past lapses and become a force that every team would yearn to beat or emulate.
New Zealand have proved that they possess the best balanced team in the tournament with their bowlers complementing the batters and their best chance of winning today could lie in defending a target which they did in the very first game to beat Australia that eventually deprived the defending champs of a place in the semi finals.
In openers Finn Allen and Devon Conway New Zealand have got one of the best pairs to start off things especially when batting first, something that Pakistan may want to thwart by winning the toss. And that Kane Williamson struck form in their last match against Ireland could be a very decisive factor for the Kiwis who also have two power hitters in Glenn Phillips and Daryl Mitchell.
It will be a crucial factor that Pakistan’s express fast bowlers, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim and Haris Rauf will have to contend with and therein could lie Pakistan’s deciding moments.
Not much can be said about Pakistan’s batting which has not really clicked so far with so much expected especially from the opening pair of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan who have the potential to set the course in either setting or chasing down targets.
But then again the duo will be up against two of the most creative fast bowlers in Trent Boult and Tim Southee who have been together longer than several other combinations and won many a match for New Zealand and this could be the occasion where they will be needed the most to ensure success that has long been overdue for the Kiwis.
To add that extra bite the Kiwis have a reliable back-up speedster in Lockie Ferguson who can be another tough competitor unleashed on the occasion.
Overall the match is likely to have all the sparks and excitement of a blockbuster semi final taking into account the players found on either side.
Teams:
New Zealand: Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson (captain), Glenn Phillips, Daryl Mitchell, James Neesham Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Pakistan: Mohammad Rizwan, Barbar Azam (captain), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah