New Zealand are one of the strongest teams in the race for the ICC World Cup 2023. Their performance was better in the initial phase than in the latter phase of the tournament. They managed to win four out of four initial matches but lost their streak against India. Since then, New Zealand has had a defeat in three matches in a row. They are currently fourth in the points table, but a win against Pakistan will make their claim stronger for the next stage of the tournament. (Streaming | NZ Vs PAK Match Blog | Full Coverage)
Meanwhile, Pakistan have barely managed to survive so far in the race to the semi-finals. Their four successive defeats had brought the morale down to the ground after the initial two wins, but a win in the previous match against Bangladesh by 7 wickets raised their hopes to sneak in at the last moment. With the win, Pakistan climbed to fifth in the points table.
The upcoming match is going to be crucial for the survival of both teams in the tournament. New Zealand faced a crushing defeat in their last match against South Africa by a huge margin of 190 runs. The defeat might have brought upset to the team, but their survival instinct will be leading them in their match against Pakistan.
Following are the three key battles that will decide the future journey in the NZ Vs PAK game:
Rachin Ravindra Vs Shaheen Afridi
Rachin Ravindra is one of the highest run scorers in the tournament so far, scoring 415 runs in seven matches. The left-hand batsman has been consistent in his performance and has hit two centuries and two fifties. However, Ravindra did not perform well in his last match against South Africa. It will be interesting to watch when he will be facing the Pakistan left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi. Afridi is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament - in seven matches he has claimed 16 wickets in total.
Mohammad Rizwan Vs Mitch Santner
Right-handed batsman Mohammad Rizwan from Pakistan has performed outstandingly and has played a key role in the team. He has scored a whopping 359 runs in seven matches with one century and one half-century. He will be looking to score more in the upcoming match against New Zealand. Rizwan will be clashing with New Zealand’s left-arm bowler Mitch Santner, and both will try to hunt down one another. Santner has uprooted 14 wickets in seven matches so far and will be chasing down Rizwan in their head-to-head faceoff.
Haris Rauf Vs Daryl Mitchell
Haris Rauf, a right-arm fast bowler from Pakistan, is performing well and keeps getting the breakthrough for the team. Rauf consistently manages to send the batsmen to the pavilion and, so far, has secured 12 wickets in seven matches. On the other end is Daryl Mitchell, a right-handed batsman, who will collide with Rauf in a high-voltage match on Saturday. Mitchell has scored 346 runs in just six innings from seven matches and will try to outperform his rival in the next match against Pakistan.
