New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

PAK vs NZ, 3rd T20I

Preview

The 3rd match of the five-match T20I series will be played at the Gadaffi Stadium in Lahore on Monday, 17th April 2023. In the second fixture, Pakistan went on batting first posting a huge total of 192 runs on the scoreboard. The likes of Mohammad Rizwan with a half-century and an outstanding 101 runs unbeaten knock from the skipper Babar Azam. He struck 11 fours and 3 sixes during his innings. The Kiwis picked up a total of 4 wickets with Matt Henry getting his hands on two of them. 

In the second innings of the game, Mark Chapman played an unbeaten inning of 65 runs but his fellow teammates failed to create an impact in the game. The Pakistan bowling attack picked wickets at regular intervals and finished off the match with a win by 38 runs as they failed to reach the total with 3 wickets still left in hand. Haris Rauf was the star of the show as he went on to pick four wickets hence breaking the backbone of the New Zealand batting attack. 

The hosts are now only one win away from sealing the 5 match series. They will be in the seventh heaven and will be looking forward to hitting the final nail in the coffin, Monday itself. The BlackCaps were outclassed in both games and will try to bring the best they have to keep their hopes alive in this series. 

Match Details

Match: PAK vs NZ, 3rd T20I, New Zealand tour of Pakistan, 2023

Date: Monday, April 17, 2023

Time: 9:30 PM 

Venue: Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore

Pitch and Weather Report

The Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host the match on Monday, April 17, 2023. The average first innings score is 175 runs and the par score is 190 runs. The stadium's surface provides almost no help for the bowlers as it is a batting-friendly venue. The Pacers will have a hard time finding a good pace and a perfect length. The powerplays will be tough for the bowlers on both sides. 

The weather is expected to be sunny with some hints of clouds. The temperature will be mostly 31 degrees Celsius. 

PAK vs NZ Squads

PAK: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Imad Wasim, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shan Masood, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Haris, Ihsanullah

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

PAK vs NZ Probable Playing XIs

PAK: Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Babar Azam (c), Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Iftikhar-Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem-Shah

NZ: Chad Bowes, Will Young, Tom Latham (wk/c), Daryl-Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Jimmy Neesham, Rachin Ravindra, Adam Milne, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Ben Lister

Match Prediction

There is no shame in accepting the fact that the hosts have completely outscored the Kiwis in both games. With the services of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Haris Rauf being in sublime touch, the team management and the fans will look forward to another clinical performance in this duel. On the other side, New Zealand needs to raise their level of the game in order to get an edge over Pakistan in the remaining matches.

We fancy Pakistan to beat New Zealand and take an unassailable 3-0 charge in the five-match T20I series.

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