Pakistan and New Zealand are facing each other on Wednesday in the first semi-final match of the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup in Australia.
The match is starting at 1:45 pm (according to Nepali time) at the Sydney Cricket Ground in Australia.
New Zealand entered the semi-finals as the winners of Group 'A'. Pakistan made it to the semi-finals through a stroke of luck as the runners-up of Group 'B'.
Looking at the history of these two teams who are going to compete for the final entry, the result is in favor of Pakistan. Pakistan and New Zealand have met six times in T20 World Cup so far. Out of which four matches have been won by Pakistan. New Zealand have won only two matches.
New Zealand
New Zealand have performed brilliantly in the ongoing World Cup tournament. Their bowling side is seen strong and can be taken as their forte in this World Cup.
New Zealand's bowling attack is spearheaded by the world's best bowlers like Trent Boult and Tim Southee.
Similarly, the spin attack will be handled by Mitchell Santner and the leg spin by Ish Sodhi.
New Zealand are also maintaining balance on their batting side. New Zealand's batsman Glenn Phillips has scored 195 runs in four matches. Likewise,Kane Williamson has also been performing well.
Another strong point for New Zealand in Wednesday's game is the fitness of the players. Most of the New Zealand players are fit physically.
Similarly, players who performed well in last year's T20 World Cup are also playing in the current World Cup. These are the strengths for New Zealand.
Pakistan
Although Pakistan did not perform as expected in the first two matches of the group stage, they made an excellent comeback in the last match.
They beat South Africa, Netherlands and Bangladesh to book their place in the semi-finals. The victory in the last match boosted Pakistan’s confidence for today's match.
Likewise, the performance of an all-rounder like Pakistan's Shahab Khan can also be important in the match against New Zealand.
Earlier, in the ODI World Cup in 1992, Pakistan defeated New Zealand in the semi-finals to reach the final.
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