New Zealand vs Pakistan 5 Key battles- New Zealand will lock horns with Pakistan in their Super 12 match on Tuesday evening. Pakistan will go into the match with confidence after registering a historic victory against India on Sunday, while New Zealand will play their first match of T20 World Cup 2021. While it will be a grudge match after NZ cancelled their tour of Pakistan at the last minute,
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New Zealand and Pakistan have played 24 matches against each other in T20I; with former winning in 10 occasions while the latter in 14. In T20 World Cup, they have met five times and Pakistan leading with 3-2. Their first face-off in the prestigious tournament was in 2007 in Cape Town, South Africa, where Pakistan defeated New Zealand by 6 wickets. Both the teams are considered as one of the top rivalries in limited overs format of the game and it would be interesting to watch the battle between their players on Tuesday.
New Zealand vs Pakistan: From Babar Azam vs Trent Boult to Williamson vs Ali, 5 key battles to watch out for in NZ vs PAK clash
Martin Guptill vs Shaheen Afridi: Martin Guptill is one of the finest T20I batsmen for New Zealand. The 35-year-old has aggregated 2939 runs from 102 matches so far. Guptill is considered as the most challenging batsman for fast bowlers due to his ability to play better against them. His main opponent could be Shaheen Afridi who is now a threat to batsmen. The 21-year-old has scalped 35 wickets from 31 T20I matches. Afridi’s bowling brilliance was on displayed when he picked 3 wickets against India on Sunday. His pace and skills will test Martin Guptill in the match on Tuesday.
New Zealand vs Pakistan: From Babar Azam vs Trent Boult to Williamson vs Ali, 5 key battles to watch out for in NZ vs PAK clash
Trent Boult vs. Babar Azam: Both the players are top class performers for their respective teams. Trent Boult is one of the key bowlers in T20I for New Zealand. The 32-year-old has picked 46 wickets from 34 matches so far. The bowling has often troubled top batsmen in recent times. While Babar Azam is the World No.2 T20I batsman currently. The 27-year-old has played 62 T20I and aggregated 2272 runs for Pakistan. Azam has the ability to perform extraordinarily well against fast bowlers. This was evident during his knock of 68 vs India on Sunday. The battle between Trent Boult and Babar Azam is definitely to watch out for.
Mitchell Santner vs. Fakhar Zaman: Fakhar Zaman has the art of playing against spinners. It’s often challenging for spinners to get rid of Zaman when they face him. The 31-year-old is one of the key batsmen for Pakistan in T20I, aggregating 1006 runs from 52 matches. While Mitchell Santner is a key spinner for New Zealand. In T20I, he has played 52 matches and picked 60 wickets so far. His spin bowling is challenging for batsmen.
New Zealand vs Pakistan: From Babar Azam vs Trent Boult to Williamson vs Ali, 5 key battles to watch out for in NZ vs PAK clash
Kane Williamson vs. Hasan Ali: The battle between both the players is definitely one to watch out for. Kane Williamson has the ability to perform against any bowler. The 31-year-old is the captain of New Zealand and has played 67 T20I matches and scored 1805 runs so far. While, Pakistan’s Hasan Ali is one of the key bowlers for Pakistan. In T20I, he has picked 52 wickets from 41 matches. Batsmen often find it difficult to play against him due to his slower deliveries and variations. It would be interesting to see how Kane Williamson resist Hasan Ali’s bowling attack.
Tim Southee vs. Mohammad Rizwan: Tim Southee will lead fast bowling attack alongside Trent Boult and Kyle Jamieson. In T20I, he has picked 99 wickets from 89 matches so far for New Zealand. Southee has the ability to pick up the wickets with his reserve swing bowling. While, Mohammad Rizwan is one of the star batsmen for Pakistan. The 29-year-old has appeared in 44 matches and aggregated 1144 runs in T20I. Like Babar Azam, Rizwan can perform better against pacers. It would be interesting battle between him and Tim Southee on Tuesday.
