Pakistan will want to pull up their socks for the last game and dominate in the ODIs as well. They suffered a loss in the first game but did manage to get back in the second making the final an interesting game instead of the usual dead rubber. They have not been able to win a single ODI series against any
top-seeded team which will make it more crucial in preparation for the world cup. New Zealand, on the other hand, has been struggling with their batting order for some time and this series has just been an example for the same. This is something that they might be able to fix however there is another more pressing issue for the team. They lack spin bowling options which might be critical on the grounds like Dubai and England so they will have to figure out something before World cup if they want to be in the race.
Head-to-Head:
Overall Matches – 111
Pakistan- 54
New Zealand- 54
Tied- 1
No Result- 2
Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
It is going to be hot and tiring which makes the decision very obvious to bat first, and then field in the evening. Both the captain will be keen on winning the toss for the same reason. This has always been a batting ground making it a little easier for Kiwis to tackle the spin.
| Total matches | 31 |
| Matches won batting first | 10 |
| Matches won bowling first | 20 |
| Average 1st Inns scores | 223 |
| Average 2nd Inns scores | 205 |
| Highest total recorded | 355/5 (50 Ov) by Eng vs PAK |
| Lowest total recorded | 116/10 (37.1 Ov) by HK vs PAK |
| Highest score chased | 287/8 (49.4 Ov) by SL vs PAK |
| Lowest score defended | 228/9 (50 Ov) by RSA vs PAK |
Pakistan vs New Zealand 3rd ODI Ballebaazi Fantasy Cricket Preview
Pakistan
Pakistan did finally manage to win an ODI match against a top-seeded team this year. The good news is that Fakhar is back in his form and looked brilliant in the last game giving a solid start with Babar. Hasan Ali has not been up to the mark so they might be tempted to try Usman khan instead. Imam will still be under observation after the mishap in the last game which might give Hafeez a chance to open again. This will be a big blow to the team if he is ruled out as they are already short of Junaid Khan who was ruled out before the second game. Sarfaraz will want to keep the team unchanged as much as possible
for this decider, but few changes are inevitable.
New Zealand
They seemed completely out of touch in this game. It didn’t seem like the same team which cruised to victory in the first ODI maybe because Boult didn’t take a hat-trick in this game. The team was exposed at its weak points concerning batting, and the spin bowling and Pakistan took full advantage of the same. They might want to bring someone in place of Worker, but no one could replace him. They will want Latham to open instead of making the middle order more vulnerable. It will be a tough decision for Williamson whether to rest Southee or to keep him in the squad for the decider, as they will be playing three tests starting next week.
| Pakistan | New Zealand |
| Haris Sohail/Asif Ali | Colin Munro |
| Fakhar Zaman | Tom Latham |
| Babar Azam | Kane Williamson (c) |
| Shoaib Malik | Colin de Grandhomme |
| Mohammad Hafeez | Ross Taylor |
| Sarfraz Ahmed (c & wk) | Henry Nicholls |
| Faheem Ashraf | George Worker |
| Imad Wasim | Trent Boult |
| Shadab Khan | Lockie Ferguson |
| Hasan Ali | Ish Sodhi |
| Shaheen Afridi | Tim Southee |
Pakistan vs NewZealand 2nd ODI Ballebaazi Fantasy Cricket Preview
