In the third Twenty20 International of the five-match series, host New Zealand will play Pakistan on Wednesday at the University Oval in Dunedin.
With two T20I victories under their belt, New Zealand will go into the third match full of confidence. The team management will be expecting to see the players maintain their high standards with bat and ball which would be sufficient to conclude the series.
The Green Shirts will head into Wednesday’s game hoping to even the series after dropping the first two matches. Having won the first two games by 46 and 21 runs, the host team currently holds a 2-0 lead.
NZ vs PAK Team Preview & Squads
New Zealand
The home club will undoubtedly start with the same lineup as it did in the previous game at Hamilton on Wednesday.
To score the majority of the runs in this game, the home team will mostly rely on players like skipper Kane Williamson, explosive opener Finn Allen, in-form Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, and wicketkeeper-batter Devon Conway.
In the previous game, New Zealand’s opener Finn Allen stood out at the bat, finishing the innings with a top score of 74 runs off 41 balls with the aid of seven fours and five sixes.
In terms of bowling, it will be up to pacers Tim Southee, Adam Milne, and Ben Sears, as well as Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi, to make significant breakthroughs.
Adam Milne, a pacer, was the most impressive bowler for New Zealand in the previous game, taking four wickets for 33 runs in his four overs. In addition to Milne, Ben Sears, Tim Southee, and Ish Sodhi also bowled well for New Zealand, taking two wickets apiece.
New Zealand Squads
New Zealand Squads
Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Adam Milne, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Glenn Phillips, Ish Sodhi, Finn Allen, Ben Sears
Pakistan
Leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed is anticipated to replace pricey player Aamer Jamal, who has cost the team dearly in the first two Twenty20 Internationals, in the visiting team’s starting lineup.
In the batting department, the visitors will be depending on the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, his opening partner Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, wicket-keeper-batter Azam Khan, and veteran Iftikhar Ahmed to put up a majority of the scores in this must-win clash.
With the aid of seven boundaries and two sixes, Babar Azam of Pakistan demonstrated outstanding form with the bat in the previous game, concluding the innings with a top score of 66 runs off 43 balls. Fakhar Zaman, who amassed an explosive fifty runs off of twenty-five balls with the aid of three fours and five sixes, provided him with strong support.
The pacers Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, as well as the spin combo of Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, and Abrar Ahmed, will be responsible for keeping the home team to a reasonable total in the bowling department by making timely breakthroughs.
Pakistan Squads
Pakistan Squads
Shaheen Afridi (c), Azam Khan (wk), Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Aamer Jamal/Abrar Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Babar Azam, Abbas Afridi, Saim Ayub, Haris Rauf
Match Details
Match
New Zealand vs Pakistan, 3rd T20I | Pakistan tour of New Zealand, 2024
Both sides will be eager to take the toss, choose to bat first and score more than 185 runs. At this location, the first innings score is typically approximately 154 runs.
Wednesday is expected to have sunny spells accompanied by mild winds.
It is anticipated that the pitch set up at Dunedin’s University Oval would give the quick bowlers some movement.
NZ vs PAK Head-to-Head Stats of Last 5 Matches
In the last five games, New Zealand has won four matches, and one match ended in no result.
According to cricket analysts, New Zealand has a 53% chance of winning.
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