Babar Azam & men will be aiming for a 3-0 victory in the five-match ODI series against New Zealand as the two teams will go one-on-one against each other in the final One Day International on Wednesday. The National Stadium in Karachi will play host to the intense battle of cricket.
Pakistan cricket team will be playing with swagger on Wednesday as they already lead by 2-0 courtesy of winning the first two One Day Internationals. The Pakistan batters have caused the carnage in the series with some stellar performances. In the first game, they chased 289 runs with ease while the second game witnessed them scoring 337 runs in the allotted 20 overs.
As far as New Zealand is concerned, they have failed to make an impact in any facet of the game be it batting, bowling, or fielding. The visitors struggled with their bowling in the first two games as they could not pose any threat to the Pakistan batters.
Moreover, Tom Latham & Men will be under pressure to win the third match and avoid an embarrassing defeat leading to Pakistan sealing the five-match ODI series in three matches only.
What has happened so far?
The first One Day International saw Pakistan winning the toss and opting to bowl first. It was a good decision as New Zealand was folded under a score of 288 runs. The top-order batter Daryl Mitchell made splendid efforts with a knock of 113 runs and he found an ally in Will Young who hammered 86 runs off 78 balls.
However, the failure of the middle order resulted in the team getting wrapped up under 300 runs. Chasing the score, Pakistan cruised to a win in 48.3 overs as Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq added 117 and 60 runs to the scoreboard. Mohammad Rizwan also looked good as he played a knock of 42 runs and remained not out till the very end.
Coming to the second One Day International, New Zealand smacked 336 runs in the allotted 50 overs on the back of a 129-run knock by Daryl. The skipper Latham and the opening batter Chad Bowes also flaunted their form as they scored 98 and 51 runs, respectively.
However, the score was not enough considering Pakistan’s decorated batting line-up. Despite Matt Henry, Henry Shipley, and Ish Sodhi picking a wicket each, the Men in Green won in 48.2 overs. The opening batter, Fakhar Zaman, again looked brilliant as he played a terrific inning of 180 runs. The Pakistan skipper Babar Azam also contributed to the victory by adding 65 runs to the scoreboard after facing 66 balls.
Head to Head Record
New Zealand is behind Pakistan in the head-to-head record
The Pakistan cricket team enjoys domination over New Zealand in the head-to-head records in the One Day Internationals. The two teams have battled it out against each other in a total of 112 ODIs and the Men in Green have secured a victory in 58 games. New Zealand has won 50 One Day Internationals while a lone match ended in a tie.
Key Players
Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan): The top-order batter Fakhar Zaman is the top run-scorer in the three-match ODI series so far with a whopping 297 runs to his name in two matches. Zaman hammered 117 runs in the first One Day International while the second game saw him smacking 180 runs off 144 balls.
Zaman won the Man of the Match award in both the ODIs and the chances of him winning another award and taking his team to their third consecutive victory are high.
Daryl Mitchell (New Zealand): The 31-year-old Daryl Mitchell has been the player to reckon with for the New Zealand cricket team in the ODI series against Pakistan. He has played both games and is occupying second place in the run-scoring charts with 242 runs at a stunning average of 121.00.
Mitchell returned with a knock of 113 runs in the first game while the second game saw him playing a whirlwind knock of 129 runs.
Predicted XIs
Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam ©, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Ihsanullah
New Zealand: Chad Bowes, Will Young, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham © (wk), Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, James Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Matt Henry
Prediction
Pakistan will be buzzing with confidence when they will take on New Zealand in the final One Day International of the three-match series.
The Men in Green scored a win in the first ODI by five wickets while the second game saw Pakistan cruising to a victory by seven wickets. The odds are in the favor of the hosts to continue the winning streak and hand a whitewash to Tom Latham & Men.
Having said that, the New Zealand cricket team is expected to put up a good fight and give the hosts a run for their money.
