The fortunes of New Zealand and Pakistan went through sharp curves after a bright beginning, leaving them in a tight spot in the race to the semifinals of the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. The Kiwis started the tournament with four wins on the bounce, and it looked a matter of time before they sealed a last-four berth. Since that point, they have fallen to three defeats in a row against India, Australia and South Africa, and are now stranded at eight points from seven matches.
On the other side, Pakistan are in an even dingier space with six points from seven matches, and they need to win mandatorily against New Zealand and England.
Ahead of the much anticipated World Cup tie between the two traditional cricket powers at Bengaluru, here is what the fans need to know.
Pakistan vs New Zealand ICC World Cup -- weather forecast: Bengaluru's temperature is expected to be between 20 and 28 Degrees Celsius on November 4. A thunderstorm is predicted in the city by around 1:30 PM, reports said. There is a 15% chance for showers at 10:30 AM when the game is scheduled to begin. As the day progresses, the rain probability is said to go well over 60%.
It is unlikely that the spectators will get to enjoy a full ODI match on Saturday, reports suggested. Although a drop in the precipitation in the evening is reportedly expected to reinstate some normalcy in the weather, the chances of a washout have not been fully ruled out either.
Pakistan vs New Zealand ODI World Cup -- Pitch report: With its famous short boundaries, Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium is a batting paradise in the subcontinent. The pitch offers a fair amount of bounce and the average first innings score here is said to be over 305! However, with the rain factor coming into play, the toss-winning captain will be forced to look up before taking a call.
Pakistan Playing XI (probable): Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Haris Rauf
New Zealand Playing XI (probable): Devon Conway, Will Young, Rachin Ravindra, Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (C & WK), Glenn Phillips, Kyle Jamison, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult
Stay tuned to The Week for more updates.