Pakistan vs New Zealand, PAK vs NZ, Today Match Prediction 29 April 2023

pak vs nz Match Prediction & Analysis

Pakistan secured a comfortable five-wicket victory against New Zealand in the first ODI held in Rawalpindi, thanks to Fakhar Zaman's ninth ODI century and a remarkable display of economical bowling by Naseem Shah. New Zealand did have their moments in the game but clearly lacked the experience to push the home side. They will need to regroup and pull off something special to make it 1-1 after the second ODI on Saturday at the same venue.

TEAMS PREVIEW

Pakistan Preview

Pakistan couldn’t have asked for a better start to the ODI series. On a terrific batting pitch, they restricted the Kiwis to 288-7 and chased the target down with ease in 48.3 overs with 5 wickets remaining. Opener Fakhar Zaman showed his class once again with a superb knock of 117 off 114 balls. His 124-run opening stand with Imam-ul-Haq (60 off 65 balls) is what set the game for the home side.

Skipper Babar Azam (49 off 46 balls) and Mohammad Rizwan (42* off 34 balls) also played handy knocks. This batting order is really strong and bats deep. On this batting beauty of a wicket, New Zealand’s best chance is to bowl frugally and put some pressure on the batters.

The standout player for Pakistan in the first ODI, however, was fast bowler Naseem Shah. His outstanding figures of 2 for 29 in his allotted ten ensured New Zealand wouldn't get past the 300-mark they looked on track for. The other bowlers were expensive, but that was expected on this flat track and wouldn’t worry the team management too much. Pakistan has enough quality bowlers to do well even on this pitch.

Pakistan Predicted Playing XI:

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Pakistan Actual Playing XI:

Abdullah Shafique, Usama Mir, Agha Salman, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Imam-ul-Haq, Ihsanullah

New Zealand Preview

New Zealand put up a pretty decent performance in the 1st ODI. One can argue that if they had all their regulars, they might even have given Pakistan a good run for their money. But for now, they will have to do with what they have. Daryl Mitchell continued his rich vein of form with a splendid 113 off 115 balls that helped set up a solid total for the team. Will Young is also proving to be a talented opener for all conditions, scoring a sublime 86 off 78 balls.

The visitors would want some proper contributions from their captain Tom Latham as well as Henry Nicholls since the likes of Chad Bowes and Mark Chapman are still quite inexperienced in the format.

Off-spinner Ish Sodhi displayed his class and experience with a spell of 1-51 on a wicket that wasn’t offering him much support. Matt Henry, Adam Milne, and Blair Tickner all had their moments and form a pretty good pace attack. On this pitch, however, they are unlikely to make a big impact. Left-arm spinner Rachin Ravindra is New Zealand’s weak link and will be targeted again by the opposition batters.

New Zealand Predicted Playing XI:

Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (c & wk), Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Adam Milne, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry, Blair Tickner

New Zealand Actual Playing XI:

Rachin Ravindra, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Will Young, Chad Bowes, James Neesham, Henry Shipley, Daryl Mitchell

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS

Weather Conditions

The pitch at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium is a great one for batting. It does offer some help to the fast bowlers early on, but once the shine wears off from the new ball, batters can make merry. Spinners too will struggle here, as we saw in the first ODI.

The weather in Rawalpindi during the game will be a little cloudy but mostly pleasant.

Venue Details

The team batting first in this game must look to set a target of at least 320 runs. Anything less becomes quite attainable. In the first ODI, Pakistan were hardly in trouble while pursuing a target of 289 runs. The surface of the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has proven to be pretty flat over the last few years, particularly in recent months. If Pakistan bats first, a total of around 340–350 runs is also possible.

Toss: To Bowl

The team winning the toss is almost certain to bat second as the pitch is relatively flat and chasing becomes easier once dew starts setting in.