NZW vs PAKW 14th Match - Group B Prediction

NZW vs PAKW Team Previews

New Zealand Women

There is no one that New Zealand can blame for its current predicament but itself. The side was blown away by Harmanpreet Kaur in the opening game and then failed to provide a stiff challenge to Australia when it was needed the most.

Now, an exit from the WorldT20 after the completion of the group stages looks all but certain.

New Zealand started the match against Australia poorly. They bowled a wayward length and allowed the Aussie opening pair to get off to a good start. It was only when Australia had put up 70 runs in 8 overs that New Zealand managed to get its first wicket.

From then on the New Zealand bowling improved and they did pretty well to keep Australia to a score of 153. It was a par total that New Zealand should have chased down. Unfortunately for them, three out of their top-4 were out in the first three overs and that was effectively the end of the run chase.

New Zealand is a much better side than Pakistan on paper. It has players with a lot of experience, better batting depth, and superior bowling resources. All of these advantages have to translate to performances on the field, though.

Kasperek took three wickets in the last match to help peg the Aussies back, Devine took two, and the others were tidy without being too incisive. New Zealand will be content knowing that Pakistan does not have the same kind of batting depth that Australia possesses.

A couple of early wickets will stop the Pakistani progress. It will also be aware, though, that its own batting has been struggling and that keeping the Pakistani side to a small total might be imperative to secure victory.

Players like Devine, Sattherwaite, Peterson, Kerr, and Tahuhu will be disappointed with their performances in the WorldT20 so far. Suzie Bates showed some fight but was unable to lead her side to victory all alone.

A concerted team effort to try and stop the Pakistani side from pulling off an upset will be necessary.

Pakistan Women

The Pakistani camp seems quite pleased at the way this WorldT20 is going. The side gave a good fight to India and then managed to get past Ireland to have a glimmer of hope of qualifying for the semi-finals. No one gave them a shot at being able to qualify for the semis and so just having this faint window of opportunity should make them proud.

This optimism hides some real facts, though.

Pakistan has not managed to beat any side which it was not favored to. It was beaten quite comprehensively by Australia and while the scorecard against India might suggest a close match, the Indians were always in control.

Even Ireland gave the Pakistani’s a scare when they had them at 29 for 1 in 8 overs. A couple of chances were missed that ended up changing the way the match has progressed. Such mistakes are not likely to be made by New Zealand.

All in all, Pakistan has played to expectation. Nothing more and nothing less.

To get past New Zealand, Pakistan will have to put in a performance that is better than anything that they have put forward so far. They could also be at the receiving end of a frustrated New Zealand side that is looking to vent by really making a statement.

The Pakistani batting would be pleased to see Javeria Khan score some runs in the tournament and for Ayesha Zafar to get a start as well. Nida Dar and Bismah Maroof scored runs in the previous match so there are a few players that should be quite confident going into this match.

The New Zealand bowling has been quite steady but it has not blown away opponents. If Pakistan can withstand the early pressure and then put up a decent total it may be able to put a struggling New Zealand batting under pressure.

Among the bowlers, Sana Mir is the one name that stands out. She took two wickets for 20 runs against Ireland and was ably supported by Aiman Anwar, Aliya Riaz, and Nashra Sandhu.

Pakistan’s bowling attack is quite decent although it does not have the pace of some of the other teams.