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The 19th match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 will witness New Zealand taking on Pakistan in a Group 2 Super 12 fixture. Kane Williamson’s men will face Babar Azam-led side at dreaded Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, October 26.
The Pakistani began their campaign in a spectacular fashion by breaking the World Cup losing streak against arch-rivals India on Sunday. Pakistan bowling attack did a fantastic job to restrict India to 151/7, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 3 for 31.
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Shaheen produced a sensational new ball bowling display to remove Indian openers in his first seven balls to set the tone. Batting second, Mohammad Rizwan (79* off 55) and Babar Azam (68* off 52) mowed down the target with 10 wickets and 13 balls to spare.
NZ are coming into the tournament with a lack of game time and any form. They have played three bilateral T20I series this year. They defeated Australia by 3-2 earlier this year with a full-strength squad.
New Zealand swept Bangladesh at home with a few of their players missing. They did tour the Bangla tigers and lost by 1-4, but none of the players from the WC squad were part of it. The Kiwis looked undercooked in the warm-ups as well, losing both the games.
Key players
Babar Azam has a flawless game against all types of bowling and lacks nothing apart from power-hitting. The Pakistan captain has been immensely consistent for Pakistan in the T20 format, amassing 2272 runs 57 innings at an exceptional average of 48.34 while striking at 130.64. He has one century and 21 fifties to his name in T20Is. Babar was terrific in the first game against India with unbeaten 68 off 52 and will be a crucial factor on the Sharjah deck.
The left arm angle, ability to swing the ball upfront, to nail the yorkers and a sharp bouncer at high speed makes Shaheen Shah Afridi a complete package. Shaheen has done well for Pakistan in T20Is, picking 35 wickets in 31 matches at an economy of just over 8. His overall T20 numbers show the better picture of his quality, with 133 wickets in 97 games, including four five-fers. Shaheen was the architect of Pakistan’s historic win over India with his 3/31.
On his day, Martin Guptill is one of the most destructive openers in world cricket who has very good numbers for New Zealand at the top of the order, with 2939 runs in 98 T20I innings at an average of 32.29 and strike rate of 136.82.
Guptill has smashed two hundreds and 17 fifties at this level. He has been better in the last five T20Is, scoring 178 at 35.60 average while striking at superb 148.33. Sharjah is a venue where powerplay batting becomes extremely important, and Guptill could be the key man to make the most of the hard new ball and fielding restrictions.
One of the quickest bowlers in world cricket, Lockie Ferguson could be the most valuable player for New Zealand this tournament. With his sheer pace, yorkers and hard lengths, Ferguson has the ability to wreak havoc in the opposition camp.
He has 24 wickets for NZ in just 13 games at an extraordinary average of 13.16, with the best of 5/21. Lockie was excellent for Kolkata in the UAE leg of the IPL 2021, where he picked 13 scalps in eight games at an economy of 7.47, playing most of the matches at Sharjah.
Prediction
The H2H record between these two teams tilts in favour of Pakistan, who have won 14 out of 24 clashes. They have also dominated NZ in six of the last eight matches.
Pakistan have two very good bowling options in Shaheen and Haris Rauf. The death overs bowling and spin department seems to be their weakness. The batting unit is highly dependent on the top order of Azam, Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman.
New Zealand have a few issues of their own, most notably the lack of quality batting unit for these tricky conditions. The bowling attack will be reliant on Ferguson, but if there’s any movement on offer, Trent Boult and Tim Southee will be in the game.
Overall, Pakistan have that extra edge along with vast experience in the United Arabic Emirates and should come out triumphant on a difficult deck of Sharjah on Tuesday evening.
