NZ tour of the UAE

UAE vs NZ, 2nd T20I

Preview 

UAE will square off against New Zealand for the 2nd T20I match of the 3-match T20I series on Friday, 18 August 2023. The second match of the series will take place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai. The Black Caps dominated the first match of the series beating the Hosts by 19 runs. UAE and NZ will have to be on their best form and any slip-up would mean that the series will go the other team's way. However, after the 1st match things seem to be closer than first predicted. The Hosts would be extremely disappointed as UAE lost the first game but will take out quite a few positives from the last game. UAE will want to come back in the series and will give it their all in the next match to make it 1-1.

NZ will be mighty pleased with their win in the first match. The Visitors will be pleased with the bowling department and how NZ managed to defend such a tricky target, especially in the death overs. NZ's batting department would have believed in themselves in chasing this target. But nobody in the middle order being able to contribute cost them the Visitors match. Muhammad Waseem-led UAE still came mighty close thanks to the brilliant knock by the 18-year-old wicket-keeper batter Aryansh Sharma who scored 60 off 43 balls, but they lost the match by 19 runs.

The Visitors got off to a great start despite losing a wicket on the first itself. NZ was unable to post a huge total due to losing wickets in the middle overs and ended up with a total of 155 runs. the top-order batter Tim Seifert smocked 55 off 34 balls, helping NZ post a good score. NZ bowling department had quite a task on their hand as they had to defend a par total. The Black Caps got off to a brilliant start picking up early wickets but things got too close at one point as UAE required just 24 in the last 2 overs. But NZ's bowlers held their nerve and managed to bowl out UAE winning the match. Skipper Tim Southee was the top performer for his side, picking 5/25 to seal victory for this side.

Match Details

Match: UAE vs NZ, 2nd T20I, New Zealand tour of United Arab Emirates, 2023

Date: Friday, August 18, 2023

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Pitch Report

The track is extremely slow and will get slower as the match progresses, hence winning the toss and bowling first is the best option. Seamers will find some early swing on Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The batters can try out their shots freely as there is an even bounce on this track. The captain winning the toss might choose to chase the target as the average first innings score on this stadium is 164. But a score of around 150+ would be a good contest between both sides.

The weather forecast seems to be extremely hot with no signs of rain on the match day for the 2nd T20I match. The maximum and minimum temperatures will be in the 40°C - 34°C range.

UAE vs NZ Squads

UAE: Muhammad Waseem (c), Vriitya Aravind (wk), Asif Khan, Aryansh Sharma, Ansh Tandon, Basil Hameed, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Junaid Siddique, Zahoor Khan, Sanchit Sharma, Jash Giyanani, Ethan DSouza, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Lovepreet Singh

NZ: Dane Cleaver (wk), Tim Southee (c), Chad Bowes, Will Young, Mark Chapman, Tim Seifert, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Mitchell Santner, Kyle Jamieson, Jacob Duffy, Cole McConchie, Dean Foxcroft, Ben Lister, Adithya Ashok

UAE vs NZ Probable Playing XIs

UAE: Muhammad Waseem(c), Aryansh Sharma(w), Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Ansh Tandon, Basil Hameed, Ali Naseer, Aayan Afzal Khan, Mohammed Faraazuddin, Junaid Siddique, Zahoor Khan

NZ: Tim Seifert, Chad Bowes, Dane Cleaver(w), Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Cole McConchie, Kyle Jamieson, Tim Southee(c), Ben Lister

Match Prediction

By winning the first T20I, the Visitors might already have one hand on the trophy but with the performance displayed by the Hosts. NZ will be on their toes and not take it for granted. The Visitors will be the underdog in this match but they try to put everything on the line for this do-or-die contest against NZ. We say NZ to dominate this match once again.

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