New Zealand will lock horns with Pakistan in the 1st Semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup, on Wednesday, 9th of November.
New Zealand will lock horns with Pakistan in the 1st Semi-finals of the ICC T20 World Cup, on Wednesday, 9th of November. New Zealand reached the semi-final after being the table toppers of group 1, having won 3, lost 1, and 1 No Result, they gathered 7 points with a higher net run rate compared to second-placed England and third-placed Australia, who also had a similar number of points.
Pakistan, on the other hand, booked their Semi-Final spot thanks to some of the results of other teams going their way, Netherlands knocked out South Africa and they finished 2nd behind India in group 2 after defeating Bangladesh in a virtual quarterfinal. New Zealand and Pakistan will clash for the first time in this edition of the T20 World Cup.
For New Zealand, Glenn Phillips is the top run-scorer with 195 runs in 4 games at an average of 48.75. Kane Williamson is next with 132 runs in 4 matches. Mitchell Santner has been the pick of the bowlers, grabbing 8 wickets for the team in 4 games. Tim Southee and Lockie Ferguson are next with 7 scalps each. On the other hand, for Pakistan Shan Masood is the top run-scorer with 134 runs in 5 matches. Iftikhar Ahmed is next with 114 runs. Shadab Khan has grabbed the most 10 wickets for the team and Shaheen Afridi is next with 8 scalps.
In the 28 meetings so far, Pakistan holds the edge with 17 wins to New Zealand’s 11.
In the 6 T20 World Cup encounters, Pakistan has won 4 times, while New Zealand has won twice.
The match will take place at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The pitch here is traditionally on the slower side compared to the other Australian venues. The spinners will play an important role in the middle over as they tend to get a lot of turn and bounce on this wicket. The stadium has hosted 18 T20I matches so far. Let’s take a look at some of the venue’s major T20 stats and records.
Total Matches | 18 |
Matches won batting first | 11 |
Matches won bowling first | 6 |
Average 1st Inns scores | 166 |
Average 2nd Inns scores | 132 |
Highest total recorded | 221/5 (20 Ov) by AUS vs ENG |
Lowest total recorded | 101/10 (16.3 Ov) by BAN vs RSA |
Highest score chased | 200/3 (20 Ov) by IND vs AUS |
Lowest score defended | 134/5 (20 Ov) by AUSW vs RSAW |