In the first semi-final of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, Pakistan and New Zealand will collide on Wednesday, November 9 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) in Sydney at 1:30 PM IST. The winner of this competition will become the first team to book its berth in the final frontier of the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Before the World Cup, New Zealand was struggling with form collectively and wasn’t considered one of the favourites for the knockout stage. The Kane Williamson-led team shocked the world when they hammered the hosts Australia in the inaugural fixture of the competition and announced its arrival in the tournament. The Kiwis won three Super 12 matches out of five with a defeat and NR each. After beating Ireland in their final game of the Super 12, the Blackcaps official registered a spot in the knockout stage. Finn Allen and Glenn Phillips have been the MVPs with the bat, Williamson also joined them following a quality knock against the Irish. Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson and Tim Southee have also been firing on all cylinders. The New Zealand camp will be looking forward to going a step ahead of the previous year and clinching the prestigious T20 trophy.
On the other end, things turned for good when the Pakistan team and its followers had given up on their World Cup dream. After consecutive defeats against India and Zimbabwe, the Babar Azam-led team was all set to return home before the Netherlands miraculously beat South Africa which opened a slot for Pakistan. After beating Bangladesh, Pakistan officially entered the knockout stage and are one of the contenders for World Cup glory. With Babar and Muhammad Rizwan yet to fire, the middle order is currently doing the heavy lifting. Shaheen Shah Afridi was on top of his game in the previous match, which could be an alarming sign for New Zealand and the rest of the teams. The Pakistanis will aim to end their T20 World Cup drought and lay their hands on the trophy on November 13.
Head-to-Head:
In the head-to-head competition between the two teams in the shortest format, Pakistan have the upper hand. The two sides collided on 28 occasions, Pakistan won 17 matches while the Kiwis emerged victorious on 11 instances.
Where to watch:
TV – Star Sports Network
OTT – Disney+ Hotstar