Pakistan vs New Zealand Prediction: Second-string New Zealand takes on top-heavy Pakistan

The Fifty Over format doesn’t have the charm it used to have. T20 has replaced it as the favored short format and the 50-over format which produced numerous greats is in crisis mode. To bring the point home, Pakistan has played just 23 ODIs since the 2019 World Cup, compared to 82 in the 2015-19 cycle. This surely indicates the wane of ODIs against the influx of T20s with franchise cricket holding sway. But perhaps the 50-Over World Cup may have not lost its charm and in a bid to prepare for the World Cup, which is five months away, Pakistan will begin a five-match ODI series against New Zealand.

Pakistan

Pakistan played New Zealand three months ago and lost a thrilling series 1-2 and two of the matches were close as it gets. Skipper Babar Azam thrives in this format whereas Fakhar Zaman looked in top form during their last outings, slamming a century too. He is going to be paired up with perhaps Imam-ul-Haq and Imam and Shan may have to fight it out as the second partner. Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Sohail, Agha Salman, and Mohammad Nawaz form a solid middle-order and all have to potential to bring out big hits to close it out.

In terms of bowling, Pakistan has historically been a pace haven. It remains the case even now. Shaheen Shah Afridi is one of the best new-ball bowlers and alongside Haris Rauf forms a speed-oriented lineup. Ihsanullah can earn some chances here and his pace is alluring. Usama Mir, Shadab Khan, and Mohammad Nawaz can form a solid spin duo while Salman Agha can be a decent support; what combinations will Pakistan use? Overall, Pakistan has a solid bowling unit that can strike early, hold it in the middle and also perform a great job at the depth.

New Zealand

New Zealand is playing their second string. Stalwarts like Boult, Conway, Allen, Boult, Bracewell, Southee, Santner, and Phillips are busy with the IPL while Kane Williamson is dealing with a serious injury. Mark Chapman earned an ODI call-up after stacking up 290 runs in the T20I series which helped New Zealand tie the series. Tom Latham who is the middle-order mainstay will lead the side and the question is if Kane misses out then who gets his place and who fills in the reserve role? Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Henry Nicholls, Tom Blundell are among some of the names.

In terms of bowling, even though the team is missing its three main strike bowlers, namely Southee, Boult, and Santner, they still have the pace of experienced Matt Henry, who was a part of the squad during the successful 2019 World Cup. Jimmy Neesham provides experience both as a batter and a bowler and was also a part of the last World Cup. Ish Sodhi is a solid bowler too providing spin bowling, which is crucial in middle overs whereas Rachin Ravindra and Daryll Mitchell can throw down some overs too.

Expert Betting Tips

The second-string side of New Zealand has a lot of experience and showed in the T20s that they can mark a comeback. Pakistan has both strike-rotators and power-hitters in their batting lineup and their bowling lineup is loaded but that hasn’t translated into much success for the team in the Fifty-Over World Cup for some time. As for this series, this can again go down the wire but I favor the Pakistanis to nail the first game.