NZ v Pak 3rd T20I Preview: New Zealand favorites to win the series

New Zealand and Pakistan will square off in the series decider at Westpac Stadium, Wellington with the series level at 1-1. Pakistan took the opening game by 16 runs in Auckland but the hosts hit back with a resounding 10-wicket win in Hamilton. New Zealand has from time to time shown that it is very difficult to beat them once they are in the rhythm while Pakistan has the tendency to surprise and completely outplay their opponent on their day. It would mindless to say that Pakistan don’t have a chance but the Kiwis will definitely start out as the favorites to win. With the ICC World T20 around the corner, a series win here would boost the preparations of victorious team.

New Zealand:

Openers Martin Guptill and Kane Williamson sparkled with an unbroken world record stand of 171 in the 2nd game which helped the Kiwis stayed alive in the series. His other half, Kane Williamson is now a consistent performer in all formats. Obviously, the team would look forward to the pair to produce another significant knock and help them seal the series. The middle order looks little frail. Corey Anderson, Luke Ronchi, Grant Elliott, Mitchell Santner all crumbled in the first T20I while they did not get any chance to bat in the second T20I. The bowling department has been impactful to an extent with Adam Milne and Mitchell McClenaghan all contrinuting for the team.

Pakistan:

The Pakistan team were fully dominated by the hosts in the second T20I. They would feel sorry about the fact that they did not build on the win in the first T20I. They have a difficult task at the hand after New Zealand showed their real side in the 2nd game. The top order looks inconsistent. Mohammad Hafeez has the standout performer this series. However, Ahmed Shehzad and Shoaib Maqsood have been a worry and have struggled against the new ball. Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal look strong in the middle order and the lower middle order has also exploded whenever required.

Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir and Umar Gul are all fit for the game. The seaming conditions would act in their favor and they cannot be written off under any circumstances. Shahid Afridi has contributed well with the both bat and ball and can become the difference between both the teams if he shines in the important match.

Form guide: (last five matches, most recent first)

New Zealand: WLWWW

Pakistan: LWLLL

New Zealand (Squads): Kane Williamson (capt), Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Grant Elliott, Martin Guptill, Mitchell McClenaghan, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Luke Ronchi (wk), Mitchell Santner, Matt Henry, Ross Taylor, Tom Latham, Todd Astle

Pakistan (squads): Shahid Afridi (capt), Aamer Yamin, Ahmed Shehzad, Anwar Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Rizwan, Saad Nasim, Sarfraz Ahmed (wk), Shoaib Malik, Sohaib Maqsood, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz.

Stats and trivia

1. Shahid Afridi needs two more victories to equal Mohammad Hafeez’s record of most wins as Pakistan captain in T20Is. Hafeez has 18 wins from 29 games compared to Afridi’s 16 from 34.

2. Martin Guptill requires two more fours to become the second player after Brendon McCullum to do the double of 150 fours and 50 sixes in T20Is.

3. Another 70-plus score for Williamson will make him only the second player after Mahela Jayawardene to score 70 or more in three consecutive T20I innings.

Weather: It will be a cool evening in Wellington. The temperatures are set to be at 17 degrees Celsius, a strong wind will make it feel colder than that.