During the early part of the 2023 World Cup, New Zealand seemed on course to be one of the semifinalists. But fate has had something else in store for them. New Zealand haven’t just lost three straight games, but the injuries have also piled up. Matt Henry has been ruled out of the World Cup with a hamstring issue, while Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson and Kane Williamson are struggling with injuries.
Amid all the injury woes, New Zealand will now take on Pakistan in a crucial match in Bengaluru. If New Zealand emerge victorious, they have a foot in the semifinal door with five wins. But if Pakistan get the better of New Zealand, then their flagging campaign would be revitalized. To put a spanner in the works of both Pakistan and New Zealand, Afghanistan now have four wins to their name, after they beat the Netherlands in Lucknow.
In that backdrop, the New Zealand camp would be keeping their fingers crossed about Williamson’s fitness test. If Williamson has to sit out another game, then the focus will again be on Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell and Glenn Phillips to do the bulk of the scoring. After compiling a hundred in the opening fixture against England, Devon Conway has accrued just 127 runs over the next six games. Tom Latham, the acting skipper, too hasn’t been among the runs.
The New Zealand think-tank would also have to ponder their bowling combination. Gary Stead, the head coach, seemed hopeful of Ferguson returning to the playing XI. Kyle Jamieson, the 6’7″ pace bowler, has been announced as Henry’s replacement. So, it could come down to whether New Zealand opt for Southee or Jamieson. The latter perhaps will extract more bounce from a high release if he consistently bends his back.
Meanwhile, an easy win against the ninth-placed Bangladesh would have acted as a timely boost for Pakistan. Fakhar Zaman returned to the side and composed a breezy 81 in that game. Fakhar’s back foot tends to end up outside the line of leg stump, which in turn has acted as a hurdle in the past. However, he has the ability to score quickly. Abdullah Shafique, his opening partner, is now the second highest run-getter for Pakistan in the tournament.
There are a few worry lines for Pakistan, especially the form of Babar Azam, the skipper, who is averaging just over 30 and has a strike rate of 77.85. It is true that Babar has made a few decent contributions but he hasn’t been able to kick on and accumulate big scores. Mohammad Rizwan also would be eager to notch up a score of substance. Shaheen Afridi would again be the bedrock of the pace bowling unit. Mohammad Wasim Jnr’s zestful spells in the last couple of games would have gladdened the Pakistan coaching staff.
Time and Venue Details
November 4, 10:30 AM IST, Chinnaswamy Stadium
Expected conditions
For the Sri Lanka-England game, there was a bit of spongy bounce. So, the pitch could be a tad slower than what you generally expect at the Chinnaswamy stadium. There could be a rain shower or two in the afternoon. The Chinnaswamy, though, boasts of a state-of-the-art drainage facility, which can suction away 10000 litres of water every minute.
Possible XIs
Williamson did practice in the nets today and he could make it to the final XI. New Zealand also would be keeping an eye on Ferguson’s fitness. The Black Caps also might take a gamble of picking Jamieson over the experienced Southee.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (C, wk), Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee/Kyle Jamieson, Trent Boult.
Shadab Khan has suffered three concussions over the past 14 months. The Pakistan all-rounder did bowl a few overs in the nets. For now, the coaching staff seem to have decided to wait for tomorrow morning to take the final call on his fitness.
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir/Shadab Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf.
Matchup
Rachin Ravindra versus Haris Rauf: The left-hand batter has earned a reputation renowned for his strokeplay while Haris has a good short ball. The last time these two came face-to-face in a practice game before the World Cup, Ravindra came out on top.
Team Speak
“Shadab [Khan] went through a preliminary test today, which you’ve got to do as per medical protocol. He came through that OK, but we’re in no position yet to make a decision on him. Concussion is a really important injury, and we’ve got to be 100% sure before we make a decision. No decision has been made on him at the minute.” – Mickey Arthur, Pakistan head coach.
“Look, we’re a small country, down at the bottom of the earth, and for us it’s fighting for every ball, chasing every ball to the boundary, and doing the little things that we can control” – Daryl Mitchell, New Zealand all-rounder.