Pakistan would face New Zealand in the final match of the T20I series to avoid the whitewash. New Zealand defeated the visitors in the first two matches convincingly.
Match Timings: Dec 22, 11:30 AM IST
Team Preview
Before going into the Test mode, New Zealand and Pakistan will wrap up the T20I series in Napier. Hosts have taken a 2-0 unassailable lead in the series after winning the first two matches with pure dominance. Tim Seifert led one more time in the chase, and Williamson did the finishing. In the absence of Babar Azam, Pakistan’s top-order failed to draw some good start as they lost three wickets in the powerplay.
Mohammad Hafeez bailed his team out of the trouble and took Pakistan to 163. The veteran all-rounder scored fine 99 off 57 balls. After picking Guptill in the 4th over, Pakistan failed to put any pressure on Kiwis. Seifert scored consecutive half-centuries, and he paced this chase with captain Kane in the 129-runs stand. It was another dominant game of display from the Blackcaps, and they are now unbeaten in its home summer.
In both games, Pakistan had its own issues, and they have to make changes to solve these. Rizwan hasn’t impressed in his role, and his strike rate is a big issue. The wicket-keeper batsman is not a suitable option in the opening slot, and Shadab has to pick Sarfaraz in the final T20I. Abdullah Shafique got two ducks in the series, and either Hussain Talat or Iftikhar Ahmed may replace him. Mohammad Hasnain can replace Wahab Riaz and Shadab can also try Usman Qadir with his spin quality. The second-highest score in Pakistan’s innings was 22, and it shows a terrible batting performance. In the first T20I, Shadab carried the sinking boat, and in the second match, Hafeez did this job for Pakistan.
163 in Seddon Park is not an ideal total, but Pakistani bowlers were still pretty average. Spinners had a decent outing with controlling the run-rate, but pacers didn’t bowl in the right areas. Faheem Ashraf bowled economically in the series, and Shadab should try him early in the powerplay if New Zealand struggles a bit against the spin. Imad Wasim can bat well in these tricky situations, but Pakistan uses him at number 7, which is a bad idea when the newcomers do not leave any impact. Ahead of the Boxing-Day Test from December 26, Pakistan can make some extra changes in the squad.
Meanwhile, New Zealand are going strong with every match in this home summer. After defeating West Indies in both T20 and Tests, they are on the finishing line of another whitewash. New Zealand tried some new players this summer for the upcoming T20 World Cup, and the decisions are working in its favour. Devon Conway delivered in the West Indies series, and Duffy got 4-for in the opening match against Pakistan. Tim Seifert has improved in the opening slot, and it will surely push Guptill to perform. Tim Southee got a four-wickets haul in the second T20I, and he is giving early blows with the new ball. Kiwis can rest its Test players in the final T20I. If Williamson drops himself, then Southee can lead the side.
Pitch Report
McLean Park’s surface is a batting paradise, and it offers a good amount of help to batsmen. The venue has the highest total of 241. The surface gets slow later the match progresses. We may expect a cracking finale in Napier.
Possible XI
Pakistan
Martin Guptill, Tim Seifert (wk), Kane Williamson (c), Devon Conway, Glenn Phillips, James Neesham, Kyle Jamieson, Scott Kuggeleijn, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Trent Boult
Pakistan
Mohammad Rizwan/Sarfaraz Ahmed, (wk), Haider Ali, Abdullah Shafique/Hussain Talat, Mohammad Hafeez, Shadab Khan (c), Khushdil Shah, Imad Wasim, Faheem Ashraf, Wahab Riaz/Mohammad Hasnain, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf
Key Players
Pakistan
Mohammed Hafeez
In England series – M: 3, Runs: 155, SR: 176.14
Previous outing – 99 (57)
Haris Rauf
Home T20I series – M: 3, Wickets: 6, Avg: 15.67
This series- 29/3, 39/0
New Zealand
Tim Seifert
This series – 57 (43), 84 (63)
Tim Southee
Home summer 2020 – 22/2, 49/1, 21/4
