Time: October 26, 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Pitch report
The smaller boundaries make big-hitting conducive at Sharjah. The game between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh is evidence of the fact, as the former chased down 172 runs in less than 19 overs. However, a new wicket will be used for tonight’s game, and the standard slowness at Sharjah might see batters get caught in two minds.
Teams
Pakistan got everything right against India. They won’t tinker with their winning combination.
Probable XI for Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi
New Zealand may bench Kyle Jamieson. They already have the experienced duo of Boult and Southee and the in-form Ferguson at their disposal.
Probable XI for New Zealand: Martin Guptill, Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, Kane Williamson (c) Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi
Fantasy Tips
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team based on the recent performances, overall impact, and credit points.
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Power Players
Mohammad Rizwan (831 runs) and Babar Azam (591 runs) are the highest run-scorers in T20Is this year. To make the fact more fascinating, Rizwan’s whopping runs have come at an average of 104 and strike rate of 140.
Devon Conway, at No. 4, is the only New Zealander in the top 10 list of ICC T20I Rankings for batters. In his short career of 19 T20Is, he has managed 473 runs at an average of 59 and a strike rate of 151.
Shaheen Afridi may not get as much help at Sharjah as he did at Dubai, but his form and confidence will make the New Zealand openers mindful of their strokeplay. More importantly, he is an excellent death bowler, equipped with toe-crushing yorkers.
Smart Picks
Seldom does Kane Williamson play false strokes and that makes him one of the safest picks in fantasy cricket. He averages 31 in 67 T20Is. In the UAE leg of the Indian T20 League, he scored a fifty and had three scores above 25 runs.
In 2021 Ish Sodhi has taken 17 wickets in a mere 7 matches, including two four-wicket hauls. Given the nature of the wicket, he is likely to continue his success in the flagship tournament. For Pakistan, Hasan Ali has taken the most wickets (12) in this calendar year. Although he was expensive against India, he managed to pick important wickets of Suryakumar Yadav and Ravindra Jadeja.
Lockie Ferguson put up impressive performances for Kolkata. He sniped up 13 wickets in 8 games, going wicketless only once.
Check out our T20 World Cup section to stay updated about upcoming T20 world cup match schedule, team details.
Match Prediction
You never know which Pakistan team shows up. On Sunday they registered their maiden win against India in an ICC event and that too by a margin of 10 wickets. On other days they err like an inexperienced side.
On the other hand, New Zealand have a reputation for performing consistently in ICC tournaments. Unlike Pakistan, they are known for their calm and composure.
In terms of numbers, Pakistan are well ahead in the race. Overall, they have won 14 of 24 T20Is against New Zealand. In the T20 World Cup, Pakistan have emerged triumphant in 3 of 5 games.
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