Pakistan face New Zealand at the T20 World Cup tomorrow. Read our in-depth preview here…
New Zealand all-rounder Mark Chapman accepts the Black Caps will have to change their approach for the Super Eight at the T20 World Cup with all three matches staged in Sri Lanka.
They open the second phase of the competition tomorrow against Pakistan and will immediately be handed a tough test on slower tracks that will take spin far more than the pitches in India.
Chapman also anticipates a departure from the big-hitting tactics often employed elsewhere.
“I think here especially, given the slower nature of the pitch along with the slightly bigger boundaries as well, you have to certainly change your game plan,” he said.
“For me personally, batting in the middle I could be in the powerplay or in with very few overs to go. So specifically against the spinners it’s probably [about] looking at different options around whether you employ a sweep shot more or a reverse sweep. Whereas in India, where it doesn’t spin as much, you can look to target the straight boundaries a little bit more.
“And obviously there’s big pockets here too, so it’s not all about sixes on this ground. Lots of twos, lots of fours – and running hard between the wickets is really important as well, particularly if it’s not a very high score.”
New Zealand finished second in Group D behind South Africa but now get the chance to stay in Colombo with all three Super Eight games being played at the R Premadasa Stadium.
Pakistan were made to work harder to advance but overcame the disappointment of losing to India in the on-off game that was eventually played to go through.
They have also had to cope with a video that has gone viral on social media of captain Salman Agha and head coach Mike Hesson appearing to argue during the win over Namibia on Wednesday.
They do have knowledge of the RPS pitch having played there against India.
Team News for Pakistan v New Zealand
New Zealand have been boosted by the return to training of captain Mitchell Santner after an illness.
Fast bowler Lockie Ferguson is a “wait and see”, however, after returning home for the birth of his first child. Spinner Ish Sodhi is likely to play if Ferguson doesn’t make it.
Pakistan are set to include Abrar Ahmed.
Predicted teams for Pakistan v New Zealand
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha (c) Babar Azam, Khawaja Nafay, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Mirza, Usman Tariq, Abrar Ahmed
New Zealand: Tim Seifert (wk), Finn Allen, Rachin Ravindra, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Mitchell Santner (c), Jimmy Neesham, Matt Henry, Ish Sodhi, Jacob Duffy
Where to watch Pakistan v New Zealand
Pakistan versus New Zealand starts at 1.30pm tomorrow. The T20 World Cup will be shown exclusively live in the UK on Sky Sports. You can stream it on the Sky Go app.
For coverage elsewhere in the world, click HERE for details of your local rights holder.
Prediction for Pakistan v New Zealand
Pakistan have the edge in the spin department but New Zealand are probably a better all-round side. We fancy the Black Caps to edge this one although it could be close.
