Pakistan prepare for their semi-final vs New Zealand in high spirits. Many fans wrote them off after back to back opening losses to India and Zimbabwe in the group stage but they bounced back in style and defeated Netherlands, South Africa and Bangladesh on the trot to earn their spot.
Shaheen Shah Afridi’s 4 wickets in the game versus Bangladesh was key in securing their win and will be one to watch alongside Pakistan’s opening batting duo, Babar Azam and Muhammad Rizwan who combined for 57-runs in the previous game.
New Zealand on the other hand finished on top of Group 1 largely thanks to their +2.113 Net Run Rate. They comfortably beat Australia, Sri Lanka and Ireland and had their match versus Afghanistan abandoned due to the rain. Their only loss came at the hands of England.
Glenn Philips, Finn Allen and Kane Williamson will be the ones to watch for the Pakistani bowlers while bowlers Mitch Santner and Tim Southee will be looking to increase their wicket count for the tournament.
Pakistan has a better head-to-head record against New Zealand in the T20 format and will be hoping that has some psychological effect on the Blackcaps. The game will be played at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 9th November.
