New Zealand had an excellent start to their tournament campaign; however, three straight defeats – including an embarrassing loss against South Africa – has put them in an extremely precarious situation.

The Black Caps are within striking distance of qualifying for the semi-finals if they beat Pakistan and Afghanistan lose both remaining matches, according to Kane Williamson’s team’s current form. A victory would seal their spot in Kane Williamson’s last four. 

1. T20I

New Zealand and Pakistan will face off in a five-match T20I series beginning 14 April in Rawalpindi and concluding 18-20-2127 April. New Zealand boasts an excellent track record against Pakistan in this format with 19 wins out of 44 matches won, only 1 game being washed out due to rain.

New Zealand will aim to gain revenge against Pakistan after losing the last T20I series they hosted 2-1 at home, as well as extend their unbeaten T20I run and build on their lead at the top of ICC T20I rankings.

Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell made quick half-centuries to power New Zealand to an emphatic 46-run victory against Pakistan in the opening T20I on January 12th. Pakistan were given hope of victory when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan gave chase, but Rizwan’s exit for 38 proved too much of a hurdle to surmount and resulted in their downfall by 16 overs.

The Black Caps have won four of six T20I matches against Pakistan at home, despite losing two and having the final game called off due to rain. Pakistan will look to improve upon their recent away performances against New Zealand having only managed one victory out of five T20Is played against them so far.

New Zealand have selected a 13-man squad for their T20I series against Pakistan, containing captain Kane Williamson (on rest), Mitchell Santner as captain-in-waiting, Matt Henry recovering from a hamstring injury to play all series, wicketkeeper-batsman Devon Conway back after being rested during Bangladesh series and Ben Sears and Lockie Ferguson also to feature prominently.

New Zealand and Pakistan have met in 115 ODI cricket encounters, with New Zealand dominating in terms of head-to-head victories with 60 wins against 55 losses. Both sides also played six World Cup ODIs between them – Pakistan winning three to New Zealand’s one success.

2. ODI

KARACHI, Pakistan – New Zealand will look to gain some respite after losing both Test series to Australia and England when they take on Pakistan in an ODI series starting October 17. Captain Kane Williamson hopes his side can secure this white-ball series prior to 2023 World Cup tournament. Both sides have played in total 62 ODI matches between them with Pakistan winning 25 while New Zealand winning 14. However, due to security concerns they haven’t met up at home since 2015.

Pakistan took control of their five-match series opener against New Zealand with an emphatic 93-run win in Karachi to go 1-0 ahead. Babar Azam made an unbeaten 94 from 72 balls as New Zealand captain Tom Latham decided to bat first. Glenn Phillips and Will Young fell quickly after Azam and Fakhar Zaman fell. New Zealand captain Tim Southee only survived 13 balls before being run out; Ish Sodhi and Matt Henry each managed one wicket takedown each.

Pakistan was stunned by Iftikhar Ahmed’s comeback as an unlikely hero as he took an impressive 3-11 in his maiden ODI outing, having only bowled once over eight T20Is previously. On a pitch that gripped and turned, Ahmed took three crucial wickets: Tim Seifert (19), Matt Henry (1) and Ish Sodhi (1 also). Additionally he took a catch to dismiss Will Young (12) before playing a part in running out Mark Chapman.

New Zealand’s innings had started badly as Tim Southee was run out for just one run in the opening over. Rachin Ravindra and Finn Allen fell within power play before Ben Lister was run out. Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman put together an unlikely late partnership of 52 off 21 balls before both were removed by Iftikhar Ahmed soon thereafter. Azam then took his place at bat and shared in a 54-run second wicket stand with rookie debutant Cole McConchie as New Zealand closed on 266-8.

3. Test

New Zealand have an incredible cricket heritage, but their recent performance in Test matches has been disappointing. But their two-Test series against Pakistan was an outstanding triumph; Kane Williamson truly demonstrated why he should be considered among the premier batsmen of Test cricket.

The Kiwis got off to an outstanding start in the first Test as they dominated throughout day one and posted an impressive total of 438. Williamson led from the front with his fifth double century in Test cricket; Tom Latham made significant scores as well to ensure New Zealand maintained their dominance of this matchup.

Pakistan was unable to string together many runs and lost wickets regularly during their reply. New Zealand bowlers managed to put pressure on Pakistan with their pace attack while their spinners contained any run scoring opportunities for Pakistan.

Pakistan had a chance of quickly finishing off the game, but were denied this by Williamson’s brilliant innings – batted for over eight hours to score 191 runs! Alongside Watling who made an important contribution towards New Zealand’s run-chase mission. Together they shared an astonishing 104-run partnership which allowed New Zealand to claim victory and win their Test match.

Though New Zealand won the series, Pakistan will likely be disappointed with their performance in the second Test. They seemed poised for victory before suffering a late collapse that handed it back to New Zealand – effectively giving up their advantage at the top of the table.

Pakistan still have plenty of chances to improve and win the series when they meet again for a third and final Test in Wellington. Their batsmen must show more consistency while their bowlers need to become more clever with their tactics.

4. T20I Series

After an initial loss in T20I 1, New Zealand responded in two consecutive T20Is by winning both. Pakistan held on strong to take two wins before New Zealand pulled even in this series and claimed all four T20I victories against them. Overall, New Zealand proved they are formidable team in all formats of competition – and this series should serve as an indication of this fact.

The fifth and final T20I was an exciting contest that came down to the wire, with both teams fighting hard for victory. New Zealand managed to score 92 runs in 10 overs but their middle order collapsed during run chase to fall short; Glenn Phillips made 19 off 12 balls, while Mark Chapman was run out for 26 before New Zealand ultimately fell five wickets short in their run chase attempt.

New Zealand came into this series with a second-string squad with several frontline players involved in the Indian Premier League. Unfortunately, opener Brendon McCullum and captain Kane Williamson suffered injuries in their opening match of this series; Michael Bracewell and Lockie Ferguson, two newcomers to their ranks performed admirably during that game.

Pakistan’s bowlers were impressive during the first half of New Zealand’s innings and managed to keep Glenn Phillips and Mark Chapman under control, yet only managed two wickets in their last ten overs despite two run outs each from Phillips and Chapman respectively. New Zealand eventually fell four wickets short and lost the series by four.

New Zealand and Pakistan’s T20I series has been an engaging contest, providing excellent preparation for the forthcoming World Cup. Both teams have met 34 times so far, and Pakistan leads with 21 wins to 13 victories compared to New Zealand – however one match was abandoned due to rain.

In April, New Zealand are scheduled to travel to Pakistan for a five-match Twenty20 International (T20I) series beginning April 14 and concluding 27 April. Pakistan will aim to maintain their unbeaten record against New Zealand while also preparing for this summer’s World Cup tournament in June. To know more about sports like football, cricket, kabaddi, polo and many more just follow us: https://sportsbyte.co.uk/