Pakistan v New Zealand in must-win World Twenty20 match
After their respective World Twenty20 Super Eight campaigns began with a loss, neither Pakistan nor New Zealand can afford to let another one slip, making this match a must-win encounter for both sides.
Pakistan were true to form in their loss against England as they alternated between the flair of Kamran Akmal’s six from the first ball of their innings to the embarrassingly sloppy with a number of fielding fumbles, including five dropped catches.
"It can be very frustrating, the way we dropped the catches and the way we fielded," Pakistan coach Waqar Younis admitted after the match, and if there’s one area that is in need of improvement ahead of the match against New Zealand, this is it.
Off-spinner Saeed Ajmal was the chief culprit for the defending champions, dropping three early chances provided by England openers Michael Lumb and Craig Kieswetter, but he wasn’t the only guilty party for Pakistan.
Improving on that aspect of their game will be key for Shahid Afridi’s side against New Zealand, as will the use of some better judgement on the part of the skipper when looking for a quick single after he was run-out for a first-ball duck against England.
Afridi can be just as unpredictable as his side but the all-rounder will need to take a more measured approach to his batting to ensure Pakistan the best possible chance of victory against a less flamboyant but far more consistent New Zealand side.
For the Blackcaps, Daniel Vettori will be looking to his bowlers to tighten up in the closing stages of Pakistan’s innings, after they allowed runs to flow far too freely against South Africa in their opening match.
On a fast Bridgetown pitch that should have left Shane Bond l*****g his lips in anticipation, the pace spearhead failed to have an impact against the South Africans – who, let’s face it, have Dale Steyn to practice against in the nets – but he’ll want to improve on his 0-33 against the Proteas in this match, as will fellow paceman Tim Southee (1-39 from three overs).
Against Pakistan, New Zealand will be looking to Brendan McCullum to produce the game-changing knock he couldn’t manage against South Africa to provide the platform for the rest of their innings, but they’ll be pleased with the form of Jesse Ryder on his return from injury at the World Twenty20, and will be hoping he can remain consistent against Pakistan.
The Kiwis may have let themselves down in the last five overs of the South African innings, but by and large, they deliver what’s expected and can be relied upon to play to the best of their collective abilities, and in doing so quite often exceed observer’s expectations.
If you could rely on Pakistan’s talented players to produce the goods in the same manner every time they took to the field, then there would be no doubt who would win this match.
As things stand, Vettori’s team must know that a workman-like performance from both batsmen and bowlers is enough to put them in with a good chance of victory here.
Prediction: Assuming Pakistan have got their wayward performance out of the way against England, they should win this one.
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