New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

PAK vs NZ, 2nd T20I

Preview

The second game of the five-match T20I series between Pakistan and New Zealand is scheduled at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday, April 15. Pakistan registered a thumping win in the first T20 match by 88 runs.

The home side chose to bat first by winning the toss. Fakhar Zaman and Saim Ayub played knocks of 47 runs each and the strong middle-order contributions led to the side post 182 runs on the scoreboard with one ball left before going all out. Adam Milne and Benjamin Lister picked two wickets each along with Matt Henry taking a hattrick but failed to stop the flow of runs. 

The Kiwis while retaliating failed to build up a good partnership. Tom Latham contributed 20 runs off 24 balls as an opener and Mark Chapman’s 34 off 27 deliveries were the highest run from the side. Pakistan bowlers were clinical with the ball as Haris Rauf picked up a four-wicket haul and Imad Washim took two wickets to restrict New Zealand to a total of 94 runs while getting all their wickets within 15.3 overs.

The hosts will be coming into this game riding high on confidence after getting the first lead in the series. It was an all-in-one contribution from the home side, and they will try to replicate a similar performance on Saturday. The BlackCaps would focus on rectifying their mistakes and adapting to the new conditions quickly to get the series levelled before the third match.

Match Details

Match: PAK vs NZ, 2nd T20I, New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

Date: Saturday, April 15, 2023

Time: 9:30 PM 

Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Pitch and Weather Report

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host the match on Saturday, April 15, 2023. The average first innings score is 175 runs and the par score is 190 runs. The surface of the stadium provides almost no help for the bowlers as it is a batting-friendly venue. The Pacers will have a hard time finding a good pace and a perfect length. The powerplays will be tough for the bowlers on both sides. 

The weather is expected to be sunny with some hints of clouds. The temperature will be mostly 33 degrees Celsius. 

PAK vs NZ Squads

PAK: Babar Azam, Asif Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Azam Khan, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sohaib Maqsood.

NZ: Tom Latham, Finn Allen, Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Mark Chapman, Hamish Bennett, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Daryl Mitchell, Ajaz Patel, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears, Martin Guptill, Blair Tickner, Will Young.

PAK vs NZ Probable Playing XIs

PAK: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan

NZ: Tom Latham (c & wk), Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Ben Lister

Match Prediction

After a fantastic win in the first T20I matches against New Zealand, the Men in Green will be the strong favourites to win the second match of the five-match series. With the services of in-form players like Saim Ayyub, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Rauf putting in all their effort in the inaugural game, the home side will be hoping for another such win in this fixture. Hence we fancy Pakistan to beat New Zealand again and take another step towards sealing the series.

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