Sports
Christchurch hosts the fifth and final T20I between Pakistan and New Zealand. New Zealand leads the PAK vs NZ T20I series 4-0 after winning four back-to-back games. The fifth T20I starts from 5.30 am IST which is 1 pm local time.
New Zealand chased down 154 required for victory on the back of Glenn Phillips (70*) and Daryl Mitchell (72*) adding an unbeaten 139-run stand with the Kiwis tottering 20/3 at one point. Shaheen Afridi’s three-wicket spell went in vain as the hosts found a way out to keep on their winning momentum.
Earlier in the game. Pakistan scored 158/5 in their 20 overs. Mohammad Rizwan scored an unbeaten 90 off 63 balls. Babar Azam scored 19 after three consecutive fifties. Mohammad Nawaz scored 21 but proved to be too little too late. Pakistan have been outplayed in the series so far and Shaheen had had the worst possible start to his captaincy career.
PCB Chief Zaka Ashraf resigned from his post after Pakistan’s forgettable performance in the series. They are yet to win their first game of 2024 having already lost a Test match and four T20I matches to start the year. They recently changed their captain and the entire administration after their performance in the World Cup.
Also Read: Zaka Ashraf Resigns As Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman
New Zealand, on the other hand, has been dominant at home. They have had the best possible preparation for the T20 World Cup to be played later this year. The Kiwis have been able to rest and rotate their players accordingly They have had players put their hand up across matches.
Heading into the fourth game, Dary Mitchell will be rested as Racin Ravindra will replace him in the XI. Tim Southee might be rested as well. Kane Williamson is already ruled out of the final three games with a hamstring injury. Mitchell Santner has been leading in his absence.
Since 2022, Pakistan hasn’t won a single T20I series, having lost to Australia, England, and even Afghanistan. They are struggling in the ongoing series against New Zealand now as well. Babar Azam stepped down as the Pakistan captain across formats after the World Cup.
Pakistan’s performance in the tournament was reviewed by the PCB who then decided to change the entire coaching and administrative setup. This series loss now adds extra pressure on the newly-appointed captain and the management with the T20 World Cup approaching.
The PAK vs NZ 5th T20I starts from 5.30 am IST which is 1 pm local time. Three out of the five games have been played in the afternoon while the series ends with an evening game. The weather in the evening will be around 17 degrees with “Increasing cloudiness” as per Accuweather. The weather conditions in the afternoon will be mostly sunny and pleasant around 26 degrees. However, there are no rain interruptions predicted.
The venue has hosted 12 T20Is with the fourth PAK v NZ T20I being the latest. A score of around 160 has been the average first-innings score in this series so far. A similar total is expected to be posted in the final T20I as well. New Zealand batting first have posted two 200-plus totals and one above 190.
Also Read: Rachin Ravindra Set To Replace Daryl Mitchell For 5th T20I In Christchurch
24World Media does not take any responsibility of the information you see on this page. The content this page contains is from independent third-party content provider. If you have any concerns regarding the content, please free to write us here: contact@24worldmedia.com
