New Zealand vs Pakistan, 4th T20I Match Preview, Prediction and Live Streaming

Are we there yet? Have we entered Pakistan’s ‘high-risk’, ‘aggressive’, and ‘as-un-Pakistan-as-can-be’ cricket era? Is the gloom and doom in Pakistan cricket a relic of the past? They chased down 205 with nine wickets and four overs to spare in Auckland. The more you look back at how New Zealand fared, the better Pakistan’s performance appears in hindsight. Perhaps the hosts took the young Pakistan side too lightly. Whatever the reason, it inspired a comprehensive comeback from the visitors. Doing so they CPR-ed the series. But how long before the lifeline deflates again? How long before reality jumpscares them from a corner?

All these questions risk getting ahead of themselves. While it would be unfair to credit only the conditions or dismiss it as just luck, the onus of proving all the naysayers wrong lies with Pakistan. That said, the fear of losing the series hasn’t subsided yet. They need one win at a time to keep their campaign breathing along with their hopes for the future.

And for now what matters is that the series is, in fact, truly alive, providing both sides to bring out their best and stick to it not only for the last two games but also for the bigger picture which depicts the T20 World Cup fast approaching.

Team Overview:

Third time’s a charm. Hasan Nawaz nods to that. What else could it be? Coming off two back-to-back ducks, he came out to bat in a bid to chase a daunting 205, at a venue where batting second is seldom preferred. But Nawaz extracted more from the surface than it offered to make light work of the chase. It’s enticing to eclipse everything else in Hasan Nawaz’s glow, but Pakistan’s bowlers ensured in the first place that the Kiwis were halted without causing much damage. Haris Rauf was the standout of all the bowlers, who adjusted his pace to trouble the visitors at their own home ground.

Meanwhile, the hosts’ injury concerns continue piling up. Matt Henry, who was expected to link up with the team for the last two games, has been ruled out of the series as he recovers from his shoulder injury. Zakary Foulkes comes in for him and Will O’Rourke covers for Kyle Jamieson, who is also sidelined with injury concerns. This leaves New Zealand looking even more like a second-string side than before.

Head-to-Head Matches:

Pakistan and New Zealand have contested each other in 122 shortest-format games, with the former winning 62 of these. Leaving out the four that ended without any result, New Zealand managed to win the remaining 56 matches.

Weather and Pitch Report:

Bay Oval is surrounded by a hill which heavily influences the wind, observing rowdy patterns across the venue. This works in favor of pacers by ooffering lateral movement. Aside from that, the pitch is generally generous to batters and full of runs. The bounce remains predictable, allowing batters to time their shots perfectly.