Pakistan All-rounder Shadab Khan is still recovering from a hamstring injury and is unlikely to play the crucial match against New Zealand at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on November 4, 2023.
The 35th match of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 has a high chance that the second half of this game will impacted by rain, which could make the toss vital.
Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first. Kane Williamson returns for New Zealand
Pakistan need 174 runs from 18.4 overs.
Pak vs NZ tv channels and live-streaming
Star Sports will telecast the match live in India with live streaming on Hotstar; Viewers in Pakistan can watch the match on PTV Sports with live stream available on Ary ZAP App.
Star Sports commentary team consists of former players like Harsha Bhogle, Sanjay Manjrekar, Ramiz Raja and Waqar Younis.
PTV Sports also has its own commentary team, which has Athar Ali Khan, Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Urooj Mumtaz.
Team News
New Zealand
Captain Kane Williamson is expected to return to the playing eleven after missing the previous match due to a thumb injury.
Mark Chapman, Lockie Ferguson, and Jimmy Neesham all trained in Bengaluru on Friday. Still, their availability for the match against Pakistan on Saturday remains doubtful. A decision will be made on game day, likely at the toss.
Match highlights videos
Pakistan
Fast bowler Haris Rauf is also a doubt after picking up a niggle in his bowling arm during the match against Bangladesh.
If Rauf is ruled out, Pakistan could bring in Mohammad Wasim Jr. as his replacement.
Otherwise, the Pakistan team will likely be unchanged from the previous match.
Probable XI: Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Usama Mir, Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (C), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf.
Pakistan team director Mickey Arthur highlights the disadvantage that Pakistani players face by being unable to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Arthur acknowledges that there is no excuse for not playing in the IPL. Still, he also points out that it has put Pakistani players at a disadvantage in terms of their familiarity with the conditions in India.
Arthur notes that every ground that Pakistan has played in the ongoing ODI World Cup has been a new venue for their players, while the Indian players have benefited from playing in the IPL on these same grounds.
