Pakistan Playing XI vs NZ: T20 WC Semifinals LIVE: Great Escape or a fairytale journey? Babar Azam & Co have to prove their doubters wrong when they take on NewZealand in the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. Pakistan had a lucky entry to the semifinals following an unbeaten run and Netherlands’ stunning win over SouthAfrica. But Pakistan are expected to field their winning combination at the SCG that trumped SA and Bangladesh. However, eyes will be on two misfiring openers Mohammad Rizwan and Babar Azam as Pakistan aim to shoot down consistent Kiwis in their familiar territory. Follow the PAK vs NZ LIVE & Pakistan vs NewZeland LIVE Updates with InsideSport.IN.
Pakistan’s primary concerns heading into the semifinals will be the form of their under-fire openers Azam and Rizwan. The Pakistan captain has registered the best score of 25 in the marquee event so far. His opening partner is yet to get to a half-century after some significant performances in the shortest format in the recent past.
And then there were four…
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— ICC (@ICC) November 7, 2022
Pakistan Playing XI vs NZ: Babar Azam LIKELY to opt for UNCHANGED XI in SEMI-FINALS with OPENING stability under scrutiny – Follow T20 WC Semifinals LIVE Updates
What can be expected from the Pakistan XI?
One positive for Pakistan in the unstable top-order will be Mohammad Haris. After replacing Fakhar Zaman in the Pakistan XI, he has shown a spark by notching up scores of 31 and 28 in the last two matches. Although Shan Masood’s resilience will be once again put to test against the likes of Trent Boult and Tim Southee, he has been the most dependable batter for the side.
Pakistan Playing XI vs NZ:
- Babar Azam (C)
- Mohammad Rizwan
- Mohammad Haris
- Shan Masood
- Iftikhar Ahmed
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Shadab Khan
- Shaheen Afridi
- Haris Rauf
- Mohammad Wasim
- Naseem Shah
But at a slow Sydney pitch, it will be advantage Pakistan. Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz have been successful. Shadab especially has been exceptional and he will be looking to make lives difficult for Kiwis. However, the likes of Haris Rauf will be the key to stop the flow of runs in the middle overs.
The concern could be Shaheen Afridi’s poor returns at the death. Arguably the best Pakistani pacer at present, Shaheen has leaked runs at the death and hasn’t been consistent. He will look to make amends against traditional semifinalists NewZealand.
Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Mohammad Haris, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood. Standby Players: Usman Qadir, Shahnawaz Dahani.
