ICC World Cup: Flightless Kiwis look to put up a fight

Bengaluru: A week or so into the World Cup, New Zealand were so far ahead in expressing their remarkable feel for cohesion and camaraderie that a contest against Pakistan would have been a moot point.

Now, beyond the halfway mark in the tournament, and on the cusp of a game which could well dictate how the rest of the tournament plays out, a handicapped New Zealand side is staring at equals in Pakistan.

So, when the teams line up at the M Chinnaswamy stadium on a sunny Saturday morning, something will have to give, and by the looks of it, that’s going to be New Zealand. This, even though, they are placed above Pakistan in fourth at the moment. 

It’s not something one would have expected to say about one of the most consistent units in world cricket for a decade and some but given five injuries, they are on the edge of a dark barrel and looking in with apprehension, fear and a sense of having had fate play a wicked card against them.

Besides injuries to Kane Williamson, Mark Chapman, Locke Ferguson and James Neesham, the Kiwis also lost the services of Matt Henry to a hamstring injury on Friday. 

That hot gravy train they were on came undone against South Africa in their last game where they managed to put together a rag-tag eleven and lost by 190 runs. That’s likely to play out again, much to the delight of Pakistan.

Team talk

New Zealand: While the seemingly endless injury list is concerning enough, the sight of Kane Williamson going through an extended batting session on Friday was a good one for the Kiwis. That thumb strain is clearly leaving him in an uncomfortable position, as evidenced by him pulling his bottom hand away after each stroke, but given the situation his side is in, you can expect the regular skipper to return.

Form guide (latest first): L, L, L, W, W

Pakistan: Babar Azam’s run of form has been a morale-sapping visual for the Pakistanis and it will continue to be of growing concern should he not step up to the plate and deliver as promised. Luckily, the likes of Mohammad Rizwan and Abdullah Shafique have handled the added responsibility with some success. Besides, they don’t have as many injuries to contend with. 

Form guide: W, L, L, L, L.

Players in spotlight

Rachin Ravindra is having quite the coming-of-age party at this World Cup with 415 runs from seven games, and now that he’s back in his ancestral city, he would hope to keep that tally ticking over. He does offer a decent option as a spinner, but it’s his batting he’s gaining recognition for and a little more of will take New Zealand a long way.

Fakhar Zaman hasn’t had the best of World Cups by his standards, but that 81 against Bangladesh could well have shaken him out of his slumber. Besides being a treat to the eyes when on song, Zaman is that top-order presence Pakistan are desperately in need of at the moment.

Pitch/conditions

So typically Bengaluru starts showing signs of rain when an important clash is upon it! There is every reason to believe that there will be rain on the day of the game, but these are only going to hinder the game, not wash it out entirely. As for the pitch, it’s a belter. Period. 

Teams (from): New Zealand: Kane Williamson (capt), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.