T20 World Cup 2021: Match 19, Pakistan vs New Zealand Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

Pakistan and New Zealand are set to cross swords in Match No.19 of the T20 World Cup on Tuesday, October 26 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Sharjah. Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, started their campaign in the best possible way after they defeated Virat Kohli’s India by 10 wickets on Sunday.

Babar, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi starred as the Men in Green registered their maiden World Cup win over the Men in Blue. The Black Caps, on the other hand, have looked a tad jittery of late. Kane Williamson and his men lost to Australia and England in the warm-ups a few days ago.

Match Details

Match – Pakistan vs New Zealand – Match 19

Venue – Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah

Time – 07:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network

Pitch Report

The pitch in Sharjah has generally been slow and low. But the game between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka turned out to be a high-scoring affair. The track, however, has continued to favour the team, batting second.

Average score: 142 (16 T20Is in Sharjah)

Record of Chasing teams: Won – 6, Lost – 9, Tied – 1

Probable Playing XIs

Pakistan

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Bench: Haider Ali, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr

New Zealand

Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (WK), Kane Williamson (C), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson

Bench: Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Todd Astle, Kyle Jamieson

Head-to-head

Overall

Matches- 24, Pakistan – 14, New Zealand – 10, Tied- 0

In T20 World Cups

Matches- 5, Pakistan – 3, New Zealand – 2, Tied- 0

Probable best batter of the match

Mohammad Rizwan (Pakistan)

Mohammad Rizwan is currently going through a purple patch in international cricket. The right-hander has scored 831 runs in 15 T20I innings in 2021 at an incredible average of 103.87 and a strike rate of 140.37. Albeit he has scored two ducks this year, he has made up for it with one century and as many as eight half-centuries. The Kiwis need to get him out early.

Probable best bowler of the match

Lockie Ferguson (New Zealand)

Lockie Ferguson was excellent when he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the 2021 Indian Premier League. In Sharjah he bowled fiery spells and picked wickets at regular intervals. Prior to the World Cup, he played one warm-up match against England and returned with figures of 3-0-19-1. If he finds his rhythm, Pakistan batters could find themselves in trouble.

Today’s match prediction: The team, batting second to win the match.

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.