After scoring 49-run win over South Africa on Sunday (June 23), skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed and his men’s next challenge is against unbeaten New Zealand, who like Pakistan, are themselves hoping to seal a last-four berth with a win at Edgbaston here on Wednesday (today). Pakistan bowling coach Azhar Mahmood has warned Pakistan they must win the early battles in their clash with New Zealand if they are to stand any chance of toppling the unbeaten Black Caps. With Haris Sohail starring with the bat at Lord’s and fast bowler Mohammad Amir sitting atop the list of ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 wicket-takers, a tight encounter could well ensue against Kane Williamson’s in-form side. But Mahmood insists renewed promise will count for nothing if the Men in Green don’t win the battle of the opening powerplay. “They are a very strong side and have won all their games,” he told a press conference ahead of the game on Tuesday. “They’ve got matchwinners in their side, so it’s going to be crucial for us to take wickets with the new ball. And when we bat, we need to get runs up front. If we can get our discipline right like last game – in batting, bowling and fielding – then we can beat any side. If we do the basics right, it’s just about us, not them.”
Still well within the hunt for a cherished top-four berth, Pakistan have been indebted to the exceptional form of pacer Amir for helping to keep their qualification hopes alive. The standout member of the Men in Green’s pace attack so far, Amir’s form after a difficult start to 2019 has been held up as a reference point for others within the squad — particularly fellow paceman Hasan Ali. Yet to play a pivotal role with the ball, Mahmood believes the example of Amir shows a change in fortunes is just around the corner for Hasan. “I think everyone in cricket, whether you’re a batsman or bowler, goes through good and bad form,” Mahmood added. “So he’s low on confidence. But he’s running in, and working hard on and off the field. You can all see that. It’s just a matter of getting wickets, and he’ll be back. The same thing happened with Amir, you know.”
Pakistan are likely to make one change to their playing XI which played against South Africa. The team management is likely to drop out-of-form pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi from the side in favour of rookie pacer Mohammad Hasnain. Hasnain is yet to feature for Pakistan during the ongoing 2019 World Cup while Afridi has played two matches – but failed to impress with the ball on both occasions.
New Zealand unbeaten start is down to the team: Santner
The Black Caps, unlike Pakistan, have played with precision led by their pace battery featuring the likes of Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. New Zealand’s unbeaten start to the World Cup has been a true team effort with everyone stepping up to the plate.
Black Caps all-rounder Mitchell Santner said Tuesday that his side would be looking to continue their impressive start to this year’s competition against Pakistan. Boasting the highest batting average in the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 to date — a staggering 186.50 — after match winning knocks against both West Indies and South Africa, skipper Williamson has rightly been lauded for his wonderfully assured performances over the past month. But with only one side — the West Indies — having scored over 250 against New Zealand so far, and the likes of Ferguson and Boult excelling with the ball, Santner believes the Blacks Caps’ success so far is as much a triumph of collective skill. “We’ve had a couple of tight games, which I guess the key so far is other people have been stepping up, and I guess that’s what you want to do as a team,” he said. “You want everyone to step up at different times throughout the tournament, and I think that’s what we’ve found so far. We haven’t relied on a few guys to do the bulk of the work, but in saying that, being on the winning side of those tight encounters give the whole squad confidence. So that’s nice, obviously, going into each game, that you know you’ve got confidence. The team, other people are standing up at different times, and you can back everyone to do a job rather than just relying on a couple of key players.”
Santner believes Pakistan’s threat cannot be taken lightly. “I think they’re very dangerous. Obviously, they’ve had a pretty good record over here,” he added. “They won the Champions Trophy a couple of years ago, and they’ve come off a pretty good win against South Africa. We’ve played Pakistan a lot recently. We’re aware of their strengths.”
Squads:
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Babar Azam, Haris Sohail, Hasan Ali, Shahdab Khan, Mohammed Hafeez, Mohammed Hasnain, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Mohammed Aamir, Shoaib Malik, Imad Wasim, Asif Ali.
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (captain), Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Tom Blundell.