The confident Pakistan team is looking to win their match against New Zealand in the 19th match of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the Group 2 contest. The team gained morale after their victory in their previous match with India. The tournament middle order is yet to be set, and it will be interesting how these teams will go into this match. 

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Match Preview

Here are reasons as to why Pakistan might beat New Zealand in today’s match:

Pakistan and New Zealand first played the T20 world cup in 2002, September 22, and last played on December 22 last year. They have clashed 24 times in T20I format in that period, where New Zealand has won 10 times and lost 14 of those matches to Pakistan. This gives New Zealand a winning probability of 43% and Pakistan 57%. The Pakistan team knows how to get around New Zealand in any format. Pakistan has won three out of 5 t20 world cup games they’ve been to, with New Zealand leaving them with an inferior head to head record. 

T20I stats

Matches Played	24
Pakistan Won	14
New Zealand Won	10
Tie	0
No Result	0
%Pakistan	58.33
%New Zealand	41.66

Overall Pakistan vs New Zealand Head to head record stats

Cricket Format	ODI	T20I	TEST
Matches Played	107	24	60
Pakistan wins	55	14	25
New Zealand wins	48	10	14

The race to the semifinals is expected to narrow down to India, Pakistan, and New Zealand. But only if they beat the three teams they have upcoming matches with. 

Pakistan is more targeted by England, New Zealand, and India, especially after their loss. The Green Brigade has shown its strength and capability by beating India in its first ICC T20 Men’s World Cup. They beat them by ten wickets and are now looking to win against the Black shirt men.

How did they win against India? In their opening game, Babar Azam’s side showed how much they deserve to win and have their arch-rivals not close to the finals. Currently, they are facing the same team that had backed out of the Pakistan tour in September, stating that they have security concerns. This controversy got the team red-faced, and it also prevented England from going into the country. The times truly affected the team’s morale, and they have bottled a lot of emotions towards this team. They are looking to give Kane Williamson’s team the same dose they gave India two nights ago. Their captain has made it clear they came to win the World Cup and urges the team players to channel their anger and frustrations into their power play. 

New Zealand is heading to the game on the back of being successfully defeated in their last T20Is. And after abandoning the Pakistan tour, they seem to have left out some valuable practice before the championships commenced. Their last game was against Bangladesh in a T20 match that took place earlier in  September. It’s been two months since they were in the T20I action. Missing the warm-up, they seem to be unprepared for the championships.  This captain, Kane, has an arm injury at his elbow, which may affect his big-hitting actions. He said the problem had been managed, but Australia beat the team in the recent warm-up match. Being a batsman, an arm injury can be very uncomfortable and unresourceful. 

Suppose New Zealand wins today and probably beat Namibia, Afghanistan, and Scotland in the next matches. Their total points will wind up to 8 points. A win against India on Sunday will add them to 10 points and have them comfortably match into the semifinals. If they are beaten by Pakistan Today, and India beat them, they stay at 0 points while India takes 2 points. If India beats Namibia, Afghanistan, and Scotland, their tally will rise to eight points after their remaining matches. So if New Zealand loses today and wins against Namibia, Scotland, and Afghanistan, they will not make it to the semifinals, but India and Pakistan will. 

Pitch Report and weather conditions

On other cricket betting tips for players, the Sharjah Cricket Stadium track is slow and sluggish, meaning that the spinners will need extra assistance to play and the battling department, with only bowlers being favored by the pitch. The opening will start on a high note for both teams until the pitch wears on, the batsmen making progress slow. The presence of dew late into the night may be problematic. The temperatures are expected to be hot and humid, around 42 degrees celsius with no possibility of rain—good weather for a good cricket game.

Probable Playing XIs

Pakistan Squad: Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi, and Hasan Ali.

New Zealand Squad: Kane Williamson(c), Tim Seifert(wk), Martin Guptill, Glenn Phillips, Jimmy Neesham, Devon Conway, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, and Daryl Mitchell/Todd Astle.

Live match

Pakistan vs New Zealand match will be aired live on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD, Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, and Star Sports 1 Kannada. The match will also be live-streamed on Hotstar. You can also catch the live match on Cricsbet Live.

CONCLUSION

A win against India was an achievement for Pakistan, for it got the big rivals out of the way, and a win in today’s match could shape their course in this tournament. Their morale is unshaken as they carry on to this new challenge. Team India is hoping for Pakistan to beat New Zealand for they see them as a big competition. If the two teams tie this match, the winner will be determined by the number of wins, the net run rate, and the head-to-head result. Have you placed your bet yet? Register on Cricsbet today, claim your 50Rs welcome bonus, receive today’s match tips for free, place a bet and start winning cash prizes.