New Zealand tour of Pakistan 2023 

PAK vs NZ, 5th T20I

Preview 

Pakistan and New Zealand will lock horns in the fifth and final T20I of the series on Monday, April 24 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi. The hosts are leading the series 2-1 after the penultimate encounter got washed out at the same venue.

Babar Azam led side started the series with two consecutive wins at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore. In the series opener, they defended a total of 182 and registered an emphatic 88 run win. In the next game, the Shaheens successfully defended 192 to beat the visitors by 38 runs. 

Just when things were looking to go downhill for the visitors, Tom Latham inspired his side to make a remarkable comeback in the series with his blistering 64 run knock. His counterpunch propelled Kiwis to a decent total of 163/5. Bowlers then joined the party and successfully defended the total.

With the fourth tie being called off due to thunderstorms, the hosts would be eager to seal the series in the final T20I, while the Kiwis will look to level the series. 

Ahead of this riveting match, let us have a look at how these two teams will fare out on Monday

Match Details

Match: PAK vs NZ, 5th T20I, New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

Date: Monday, April 24, 2023

Time: 9:30 PM

Venue: Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, Rawalpindi

Pitch and Weather Report

The Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium has traditionally been good for batting. Three T20Is out of the four played at this venue have been won by teams batting second. Hence the skipper winning the toss is likely to chase. 

Unlike the last matchday, there aren’t any dark clouds hovering across the venue. Wind will flow throughout the day despite clear skies with the temperature being at 26 degree celsius. 

PAK vs NZ Squads 

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, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Shan Masood, Mohammad Haris, Ihsanullah

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

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, Rachin Ravindra, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Cole McConchie, Henry Shipley

Match Prediction

Pakistan have played with intent and are deservingly leading the series. They have clicked well as a unit and have been clinical in all departments right throughout the series thus far. Having said that, we believe NZ have done well to give their opponents a stern fight. They got the better of the hosts last time they crossed swords. We put our stakes on the Kiwis to continue the winning momentum and finish the series at 2-2. 

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