NZ v Pak World T20 Preview: Kiwis eye semi-final berth in Mohali

Pakistan will be desperately looking to ensure the painful defeat to India becomes a distant past when they run into an in-form New Zealand tomorrow with an aim to bounce back into the World T20 and pacify their bitter fans back home. On the other hand, the New Zealanders are on a roll with two massive wins over hosts India and Australia, making them one of the strong contenders to lift the coveted trophy on April 3. Another win and they will be in the knockout stages of the mega-event.

New Zealand

New Zealand has emerged as the team to beat after the stunned tournament favourites India first up, before getting the better of traditional rival Australia in a trans-Tasman battle. While the spinners stood out in both games with a bagful of wickets on pitches that aided turn, left-arm fast medium bowler Mitchell McClenaghan proved to be Australia’s nemesis with a three-wicket burst in hilly Dharamsala. The surface in Mohali generally suits the faster men and McClenaghan will once again be the key wicket taker in a versatile Bowling lineup.

The fact that skipper Kane Williamson has yet to give frontline pacers Tim Southee and Trent Boult a game in this tournament gives ample demonstrations of New Zealand’s depth in bowling Considering the Pakistani batsmen’s susceptibility against quality bowling, the Kiwi attack will definitely fancy their chances at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium. However, batting is an area New Zealand would do well to address. Most of their batsmen have got starts in the previous two matches, however, failed to convert into something substantial.

Pakistan

Skipper Shahid Afridi was at his dazzling best against Bangladesh, however, played poorly against India. Afridi, who has faced criticism from various quarters back home for losing to India, will be eager to regain his touch. In the curtailed game at Eden Gardens, Pakistan buckled under pressure and Virat Kohli’s batting masterclass. They had their moments early in India’s run-chase, however, after the early burst by Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Sami, the Pakistani bowlers failed to dislodge Kohli, who was well supported by Yuvraj Singh. The bowlers will need a more consistent performance in the crunch game against the Kiwis.

Shoaib Malik made a valuable contribution with the bat while Umar Akmal also made useful runs at a brisk pace in the previous game. The two will need to bat big and the team will rely heavily on their contributions as well that of the experienced Mohammad Hafeez. Pakistan will need to start the match on a positive note and continue from there if they are to have any chance of beating the Kiwis who are playing some fabulous cricket at the moment.

Pitch and Conditions:

The pitch at the Punjab Cricket Association Stadium should be good for batting, however, has the pace and carry that will keep the fast bowlers interested. Chasing a target could be a good option for the team that wins the toss.

Form Guide: (Last five completed games most recent first)

New Zealand WWWWL

Pakistan LWWLW

Probable XI-

New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Corey Anderson, Ross Taylor, Grant Elliott, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Mitchell McClenaghan, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi.

Pakistan: Shahid Afridi (C), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel Khan, Mohammad Hafeez/Khalid Latif, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Sami, Imad Wasim/Mohammad Nawaz, Umar Akmal, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Amir.

Also Read: Hafeez & Wahab Riaz likely to miss the encounter against BlackCaps