New Zealand begin their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021 campaign against Pakistan at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Tuesday, October 26.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams after the New Zealand cricket team pulled out of their tour of Pakistan, citing security threats last month.
In the head-to-head battle, Pakistan lead 14-10 over New Zealand. As far as the record in UAE is concerned, Babar Azam and Co. have been dominant with a 6-1 record over the Kiwis.
Pakistan’s Mohammad Hafeez is the leading run-scorer in this fixture with 552 runs in 17 matches at a strike-rate of 138. With the ball, Tim Southee is the leading wicket-taker between the two sides with 23 wickets in 13 matches with the best match figures of 5/18.
The wickets in Sharjah have been on the slower side this year with 149 as the average first innings total batting first. Considering the slow nature of the surface, it will be interesting to see what playing combination both teams prefer.
Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 World Cup squads
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi
New Zealand squad: Kane Williamson (captain), Todd Astle, Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Martin Guptill, Kyle Jamieson, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips (wicket-keeper), Mitchell Santner, Tim Seifert (wicket-keeper), Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee
Where to watch Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 World Cup live in India?
The Pakistan vs New Zealand Super 12 Group 2 match will be telecast live on Tuesday, October 26 from 7:30 PM IST on Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 1 Hindi, Star Sports 1 Hindi HD in India
Live streaming of the Pakistan vs New Zealand Super 12 Group 2 match will be available on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
SportsAdda will bring you Pakistan vs New Zealand Super 12 Group 2 live scores.
Featured photo: Michael Bradley / AFP
