New Zealand vs Pakistan, ICCWCT20 2022, Today Match Prediction 09 November 2022

nz vs pak Match Prediction & Analysis

New Zealand won 2 of the 2 matches at this venue in the T20 World Cup. It has been a complete turnaround for the Blackcaps who had a rather poor record in Australia prior to this tournament. 

Sydney is not an easy ground to score runs and the last couple of games saw some really thrilling encounters. It was here that Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan scored a fifty each leading the comeback from Pakistan against South Africa. 

The duo added 82 runs for the 6th wicket in just 35 balls setting Pakistan for a competitive total. At the same venue, Trent Boult and Tim Southee destroyed the Sri Lankan batting lineup. Though SCG has been a high-scoring ground traditionally, the long boundaries have made it difficult to score sixes at will. 

The pace attack in both teams is impeccable and in a good rhythm. It will be a contest worthy of a T20 World Cup semi-final with New Zealand locking horns with Pakistan. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

New Zealand Preview

New Zealand finished at the top of their group in the points table with 3 wins from 5 matches and just 1 loss. The Blackcaps will be returning to Sydney for their third game of the World Cup. 

The Williamson-led team defeated Sri Lanka and Australia at this venue with a strong overall performance. The batters dominated in the opening game against Australia while the bowlers were outstanding against Sri Lanka.

The pitch behaved differently in these two games. While it was quite batting-friendly and the NZ batters scored big against Australia, things were tricky in the Sri Lanka game. 

The bowlers will be key for New Zealand as they have been in the past. Trent Boult and Tim Southee will be expected to deliver breakthroughs in the powerplay. 

The opposition’s top order isn’t in the best of form and a consistent effort in the early overs might just get them the early breakthrough. While Finn Allen can get New Zealand off to a flying start, it is Kane Williamson and Glenn Phillips who will be responsible for the match-winning partnership in the middle.

Kane Williamson’s 61 off 35 balls in the last game against Ireland has put the concerns around the skipper's strike rate and form to rest. Daryl Mitchell who opened for New Zealand in the last World Cup is now batting at number 5 and has an equally crucial role to play.

Along with James Neesham in the lower order, Mitchell will also be in the finisher’s role required to give the side a big finish. 

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Finn Allen, Devon Conway (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult

New Zealand Actual Playing XI:

Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner, Devon Conway, Daryl Mitchell, Lockie Ferguson, Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson, Ish Sodhi, James Neesham, Tim Southee

Pakistan Preview

If it wasn’t for the big surprise from the Netherlands who knocked South Africa out of the race to the semis, Pakistan wouldn’t have been here. Though their recent win over Bangladesh wasn’t a convincing one, there were a few key takeaways for the batting department.

Shan Masood at number 5 worked well for the team as the left-handed batsman scored 24 off 14 balls. Mohammad Haris also had a good strike rate at number 4 with 31 off 18 balls. 

The time has now come to that look into the middle order of Pakistan and assess its abilities. Since the opening duo of Babar and Rizwan hasn’t been in the best touch, the middle and lower order has come to the rescue. 

This is rather good news for Pakistan as it allowed for new heroes to emerge. Mohammad Nawaz is a big name in this lineup and will be the key player to watch out for. He was sent in at number 3 in the last game while chasing a 128-runs target.

The batting lineup is deep with Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan coming in at 6 and 7. Now there is hope for Pakistan in the batting lineup having witnessed some good performances from the middle and lower order.

Nevertheless, the most impactful players for Pakistan will be their bowlers. Shaheen Afridi, returning from an injury, has found his rhythm and picked figures of 4 for 22 and 3 for 14 in the last two games. He will be the impact player for Pakistan in the pace department along with Naseem Shah and Mohammad Wasi Jr. 

Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:

Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Haris, Shan Masood, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan Actual Playing XI:

Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Haris, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Nawaz, Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf, Shan Masood, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

Traditionally, the pitch has been a batting-friendly one with teams batting first having an advantage. The spinners will find some help from the pitch as was seen in the last game here. The weather is expected to be mostly sunny with a high of 22 degrees Celsius.

Venue Details

The Sydney Cricket Ground has been host to many iconic matches over the years. The average 1st innings total at this ground is 172 runs in the T20Is and 158 in domestic T20s. The straight boundaries are around 80 meters at this ground and it will not be easy to clear them.

Toss: To Bat

Teams batting first have won 10 of the 16 T20Is played at the SCG. In this T20 World Cup, teams batting first won 5 of the 6 matches at this venue. Both teams have a strong bowling attack that is capable of defending a total.