On November 9, the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022 will take place in Sydney which will pit New Zealand against Pakistan. Both teams’ World Cup journeys thus far have been extraordinary where both will and luck took part to qualify them for the next stage.
NZ VS PAK T20 World Cup 2022: Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2022
The start of Babar Azam’s team’s season ended in a last-ball defeat against India. The following game was against Zimbabwe, and they shockingly lost this contest, feeding the image of this World Cup being the world cup of upsets. However, Pakistan went on to defeat the Netherlands before putting on another ruthless display against South Africa in a game that was on the line. They won the most important match to keep them in contest for the Semis.
The Netherlands’ victory against the Proteas on Sunday provided the support the 2009 T20 World Cup champions needed, as Babar’s team also overcame Bangladesh to go to the final four.
NZ VS PAK: New Zealand in T20 World Cup 2022
Newzealand on the other hand had to accept a draw from their game against Afghanistan, which was called off due to inclement weather. Kiwis had a much more reliable start to the tournament, defeating Australia by a huge 89 runs in their opening encounter. Kane Williamson’s team recovered with a victory against Sri Lanka, but their advancement to the semifinals was delayed by a loss to England. which they finally clinched the semis spot by defeating Ireland.
NZ VS PAK Match Preview: Pitch Report
The game between NZ vs PAK will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground. Of the last three matches played here, the average first innings score has been 165.
NZ VS PAK Match Preview: Toss
The team that wins the toss prefers to bat first in this ground.
Also Read: NZ Vs PAK Dream 11 Prediction
NZ VS PAK Match Preview: Head to Head
If we talk about NZ VS PAK Head-to-Head battles then just before the World Cup, Pakistan and Newzealand played Tri-series with Bangladesh. In the series finale, the Green Team beat the Black Caps to emerge victorious.
Out of the 28 games played between the teams so far, Pakistan has won 17 while 11 are won by Newzealand.
NZ VS PAK Match Preview: Key Players for Pakistan
The Key Players for Pakistan’s batting are Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam at the moment. We have seen that since the commencement of the tournament, the duo has failed to perform at their best. Their record against Newzealand is not that impressive.
Babar has fair stats against the Kiwis. In the 10 matches he has played so far, he has scored 359 runs at an average of 44 runs.
As impressive as Babar’s records are, the contrary is Rizwan’s. The partner has played 8 T20Is against the Blackcaps. They have scored 219 runs at an average of 27.38.
In the bowling department, Shaheen Afridi has been a top bowler. In the 6 matches played so far against Newzealand, Shaheen has taken 8 wickets at a strike rate of 17.25.
The mentioned players form the core team for Pakistan and it will be intresting to see how they take to guard against the mighty Newzealand who are in great form in the tournament.
NZ VS PAK T20 World Cup 2022: Key players for Newzealand
Kane Williamson has time and again shown that he is a player of big matches. He takes responsibility on his shoulders whenever the team is in difficulty. We saw the evidence in the match against Ireland and England. Against Pakistan, the captain has played 18 matches so far he has scored 538 runs at an average of 35. He will look on to improve his stats in the semis.
Another key batter is Devon Conway. The batter has played 7 matches against PAK in which he scored 194 runs at an average of 38. The strike rate needs improvement and we expect to see a change in it in the semis.
In the bowling department, the most formidable bowler against PAK has been Tim Southee. In the 17 matches played so far, the bowlers have taken 28 wickets at an average of 17.29 and a strike rate of 14.57. We expect him to continue his dominant performance against the Green Team and dismiss their openers early on in the match.
NZ VS PAK T20 World Cup 2022: Fantasy Tips & Expert Advice
The top picks for the NZ vs PAK game for Pakistan are Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Shadab Khan and Shaheen Afridi. The players have consistently performed for PAK in the World Cup. We have high expectations from Rizwan and Babar to get back to form and show the world their masterclass against Newzealand as we have not seen much action from their bat in the World Cup..
From Newzealand, our top picks are Glenn Phillips, Devon Conway, Kane Williamson, Mitchell Santner, and Tim Southee. The players have shown promising performances against Pakistan and hold good records against the team. They will be under pressure to perform on D Day and we expect them to flare well.
As for Captain and Vice Captain for your Fantasy team, we suggest you keep Shaheen Afridi as Captain and Kane Williamson as Vice Captain of your team.
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