Pakistan cricket team would have to look into its weakest area of fielding, before going into the crunch match of the World Cup against New Zealand on Wednesday 26th June at Edgbaston, England.
An uphill task yet to be achieved by the green shirts is to strike a victory against Kiwis in the coming match, and win the games against Afghanistan as well as Bangladesh in order to remain in contention for the semi-final qualifications.
Match details
Match 33: New Zealand v Pakistan
Venue: Edgbaston, Birmingham
Date: Wednesday, 26 June
Time: 03:00pm IST, 09:30am GMT
Even the success in the coming three matches does not guarantee the Pakistani team a ticket to the semi-final, as it also heavily depends on the results of other matches. A victory against South Africa, their second in the mega event in England, has pumped up confidence in the Pak team and they seem ready to take on Kiwis challenge in a decent manner and to go all out for a success by showcasing collective efforts, but lax fielding still remains a worry for them
Pakistani players dropped several catches against South Africa on Sunday but still managed to win, thanks to a master and steady knock by Haris Sohail.
Pakistan team has been left with no choice but not to repeat lapses in fielding when it takes the field against the Kiwis. The sour reality of poor fielding of Pak team has helped the New Zealanders to establish the status of favorites in the pre-match ratings. According to the pundits of the game, Kiwis have 58 percent of success compared to Pakistan’s 42 percent in tomorrow’s match at the Edgbaston.
Key Players: Harris Sohail, Amir.
Because of its superb run, New Zealanders are at the top of the points table with eleven points. Kiwis have so far played six matches, winning five games and one match failed to produce any result. After playing six matches, Pakistan is at the seventh place on the points table in the 10-team event, which portrays their dismal performance in the world tournament. Display of aggressive cricket with precision and responsibility can lead Pak team to success against New Zealand in a challenging encounter.
Key Players: Kane Williamson, Trent Boult.
Weather report
There is rain expected on match eve, but by the time Wednesday comes around, the weather should have eased out considerably.
Pitch report
Light cloud cover and some mild breeze might help the pacers, so watch out for some wicked in-swingers and away-angling rippers from Boult and Amir.
Head to Head
ODIs:
Total 106
Pakistan 54 – New Zealand 48
Tied: 1
N/R: 3
In the World Cup:
Total: 8
Pakistan 6 – New Zealand 2.
New Zealand’s Predicted Playing XI: Martin Guptill, Colin Munro, Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Colin de Grandhomme, Trent Boult, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson.
Pakistan Predicted Playing XI- Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (c & wk), Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz, Hasan Ali.
Playerzpot Playing XI:
