World Cup 2019, Match 33: New Zealand vs Pakistan – Fantain Fantasy Cricket Tips

Here is all you need to read on both the teams before picking your Fantain XI.

Published - 25 Jun 2019, 10:35 IST | Updated - 25 Jun 2019, 10:35 IST

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The only reason Pakistan is not yet officially ruled out of the World Cup 2019 is because they are yet to face Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The match against New Zealand could be a nail-biting thriller or a one-sided match. It all depends on the top four batsmen of Pakistan. Three more wins and they could very well be in the run.

New Zealand, on the other hand, are on top of their game and the table. They have won all five played matches and do not look like they will want to settle for anything less than the trophy. Here is all you need to read on both the teams before picking your Fantain XI.

Team News:

New Zealand

New Zealand has had a fantastic run so far in World Cup 2019. They have made to only one finals so far. It is safe to say that this is the best performance they have displayed and possibly the best team deployed for the cup.

Their record against Pakistan is not in their favour, having lost 75% of the matches, but this match appears to be in their kitty. Williamson and Ferguson are the stars of the show so far and will continue to play a critical role in their campaign.

They lost both openers for naught in the first over against West Indies but they went on to hit 10 runs short of 300. If that does not speak of their will to win, what will?

Predicted XI: Ross Taylor, Martin Guptill, Kane Williamson (c), Colin de Grandhomme, Colin Munro, Trent Boult, Tom Latham (wk), James Neesham, Matt Henry, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson

Pakistan

Pakistan’s volatile nature is their doom. Despite the fact that they have a much better track-record against current opponent New Zealand, they might still not be the favourites to win the game. Unless the top five batsmen click, it looks to be a one-sided affair.

Mohammed Amir has taken the most number of wickets in the tournament so far and he would be the key to the team breaking into the semi-finals. He has proven to be more reliable than all the batsmen put together. While the top players have the potential, what they lack is the consistency.

Their performance against South Africa was complete. The fact that South Africa has been dismal this tournament should also count though. Haris Sohail came through after a long time, putting him as a player to watch out for. If only he were more consistent, Pakistan would be in a much better place.

Predicted XI: Mohammad Hafeez, Sarfaraz Ahmed (C & wk), Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Haris Sohail, Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Imad Wasim, Fakhar Zaman, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi