Today’s World Twenty20 group match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Mohali is another interesting one as New Zealand is eyeing semi-final berth, while it is a must win for Pakistan.
A win here is a must for Shahid Afridi's men to enter semi-final berth and to keep all their hopes alive for winning the trophy once more. Even though Pak comfortably won the first match against Bangladesh in their opening match, they were crushed to defeat against arch rivals India on Saturday. This even sparked an angry response from fans back in Pakistan.
Also read: India’s 11-0 lead over Pakistan in all World cups
On the other hand, Kiwis are topping the table and are riding high after defeating India and Australia. They already have four points in their pocket followed by India and Pakistan. The black caps are eyeing semi-final berth with this match. Another win will help New Zealand cruise through to the knockout stage.
Skipper Kane Williamson has won applauds for his strategies and tactics. After the win over Australia, Williamson said, "I think we were fortunate to play on two wickets which were very similar. We adopted similar tactics. You have to try and read the conditions and select accordingly."
All pressure is on Afridi, 36, to deliver. Being surprised by Afridi’s team selection, former Pakistani spin great Saqlain Mushtaq was quoted by PTI as saying that, "They couldn't read the pitch. For such a high profile match they should have played a proper spinner. It was not a pitch to field four fast bowlers."
Teams:
Pakistan (from): Shahid Afridi (captain), Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Nawaz, Khalid Latif, Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfraz Ahmed, Umar Akmal, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Irfan, Shoaib Malik, Anwar Ali, Khurram Manzoor, Mohammad Sami, Sharjeel Khan, Wahab Riaz
New Zealand (from): Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Henry Nicholls, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Colin Munro, Nathan McCullum, Adam Milne, Luke Ronchi, Mitchell Santner, Ross Taylor
- Sumana
