The crucial match between Pakistan and New Zealand has reached its halfway stage, with New Zealand dominating the Pakistani bowlers with great intensity.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first, allowing New Zealand to score 401-6.
The opening batsman, Rachin Ravindra, scored his third century in this World Cup, amassing 108 runs, while the skipper, Kane Williamson, made his comeback and contributed 95 runs.
Both of them formed a crucial partnership of 170 runs, which proved to be highly challenging for the Pakistani bowlers.
After both of them were dismissed, the middle-order batsman Glenn Phillips played a crucial innings, scoring 41 runs, which elevated his team’s total to 400.
Pakistan’s premier bowler, Shaheen Afridi, had a tough day as he proved to be the most expensive, conceding 90 runs in his 10 overs without taking a wicket. Haris Rauf and Hasan Ali also struggled with their bowling, as Haris gave away 85 runs and managed to take only one wicket, while Hasan conceded 82 runs and took just one wicket.
In contrast, Mohammad Wasim Jr. had an economical performance, conceding only 60 runs and securing 3 crucial wickets. Unfortunately, he didn’t receive much support from the other bowlers in restricting the opposition’s runs.
In this must-win game for the Green Shirts, it’s imperative that the batsmen approach their innings sensibly and aggressively to chase down the challenging target of 402. Doing so would significantly enhance their chances of qualifying for the semi-finals.
Source: Pro Pakistani