T20 World Cup 2021 – Match No.19 – Pakistan vs New Zealand – Match Conditions – Playing XI Probables – Fantasy Suggestions – Dream11 Team
The second game of the doubleheader today will see Pakistan taking on New Zealand. This will be Kane Williamson-led side’s first game, and they would want to start with a win. Pakistan, after their historical win against India, will want to win to steady their semi-final chance.
It will be interesting to see how Pakistan play today. They have to work hard to continue the winning run to take off the inconsistency tag. The kiwis lost both their warm-up games, but this will be a different game, considering how good a side they are in the format.
Match Conditions
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Date and time: October 26, 2021 | 7.30 PM IST
Weather: No rain expected.
Playing XI Probables
Pakistan
Pakistan has no reason to make any changes to the line-up they played against India. They all clicked well brilliantly in that game. So, the same Playing XI.
Probable Playing XI: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Asif Ali, Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Afridi
New Zealand
New Zealand warmed up in their own way, providing opportunities to every player in the squad in the warm-ups. What I have given below is their best possible XI.
Probable Playing XI: Tim Seifert (wk), Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Ish Sodhi
What can you expect?
It will be interesting to see how Pakistan react if they didn’t get the starts they have got with both bat and ball in the opening game against India. Suppose they lose early wickets today, their middle-order will be tested, which I think is important for them in the early stage of the tournament.
NZ are always a great side in this format. They have a good mix of batters and bowlers. However, the challenge they will face will be the contrasting conditions in the UAE, which makes me think of Pakistan as today’s favorite.
Fantasy Suggestions
Day-night game means there will be heavy dew. Pick players accordingly. The more you pick according to conditions, the higher the chances for you to win in fantasy.
Pick players considering the strength of the opposition. NZ might struggle against Pakistan spinners, so pick the bowling unit wisely.
Read our ten mantras to pick the best fantasy team.
Dream11 Team
Wicket keepers: Rizwan as the opening batsman is a definite pick.
Batters: It is wise to have batsmen from the top-order, considering the short boundaries in this venue: Guptill, Kane, Babar, & Fakhar.
All-rounders: All-rounders are available at the abundance in both teams. I am going with an all-spin attack in this category.
Bowlers: Shaheen, Boult, & Ferguson will together give the much-needed fantasy back-up as the bowlers.
Captaincy pick: Shaheen as the Captain is a no-brainer.
