- The tournament is wide open after England’s ruthless loss against the Kangaroos. It’s New Zealand vs Pakistan at Birmingham today and Pakistan would look to continue the winning momentum they got against South Africa. New Zealand escaped a close contest against West Indies the other day where Carlos Brathwaite made a heroic comeback for the West Indies in an otherwise one sided contest.
Talking of the head to head stats New Zealand have won only 2 matches in comparison to Pakistan winning 6 of them.
Kane-Taylor: The Lone Rangers
Credits: India Today
Kane Williamson & Ross Taylor have been two players who have single-handedly taken games away from the opposition. This is a blessing and a curse for the side because the openers in Guptill & Colin Munroe haven’t delivered the goods as yet. 37% of the runs for the Kiwis have been made by the skipper himself which puts himself in the target zone for Pakistan.
Amir-Boult Battle
Credits: Evening News
Both these bowlers have been bowling some unplayable deliveries right through the tournament. Trent Boult has been New Zealand’s spear head bowler time & again and has been both economical & wicket-taking at the same time. Mohd Amir on the other hand, has brought Pakistan some joy in the tournament considering the roller coaster ride this tournament has been for them.
The Do or Die situation
Credits: The Cricket Times
Pakistan winning this won would breath a new life in the whole tournament considering England’s struggle in their journey now. New Zealand haven’t lost a single game as of now in the whole tournament and have been consistent throughout with their performances. If Pak lose today they would more or less be out of the competition.
Our Prediction
Credits: Firstpost
The pitch looks fairly overcast and it will support the pace bowlers early on. They will find movement and team winning the toss would be looking to bowl first since at Edgbaston, team batting second has had great success. Toss is going to play a crucial role here. If New Zealand wins the toss, they will bowl first and Trent Boult will derail the Pak batting right through. Similarly, for Pakistan Amir & Riaz will do the same job.
We are going with New Zealand in this one as well considering the sublime form Kane Williamson is in, even if they bat second, he could well lead them to victory. Keep an eye on Guptill today, he might just get his click.
Result Review
Some clinical batting backed up by supreme bowling, Pakistan has pulled off a win against the Blackcaps. Mohd Amir, Shaheen Afridi & Wahab Riaz just didn’t let the New Zeas get set. The openers failed again and Shadab took the important wicket of Kane Williamson. A fighting 97* by Neesham gave them a respectable total to which Babar Azam & Haris Sohail replied with class & style. This is New Zealand’s first loss in the tournament & has left the competition wide open. Pakistan will now rely on India’s win against the English on 30th.
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