T20 World Cup Match Prediction: Pakistan versus New Zealand. 19th Match. Who Will Win?

Writing history is something that needs a top-quality performance, and this is exactly what the Pakistan team provided in their first T20 world cup match against India as they beat the clear favourites by ten wickets! Thanks to that win, Group B is now definitely wide open. Pakistan should now be favourites to top the group, and a win against New Zealand in this match could make that happen. So, who do we predict will go on to win this match? Keep on reading this T20 World Cup match prediction to find out!

Pakistan Team Preview

Over the years, the Pakistan team have been hailed as genius, stupid, and unpredictable - you just never know what Pakistan side is going to turn up. In their most recent match against India, we do not need to tell you what type of Pakistan team turned up. In their ten-wicket win against India, they made a statement and told the rest of the competition that they are not just here to make up numbers.

Pakistan had a few issues that they needed to address before their first game and considering the way that they played, it has to be said that the issues were fully addresses. Pakistan will now be full of confidence going into their next games and it will be interesting viewing to see how they play against sides will different dynamics.

Pakistan's stunning win was basically set up by a brilliant opening bowling spell by Shaheen Afridi, who dismissed both openers for just three runs between them. The other bowlers did very well to keep the Indian batsmen under pressure and Pakistan always looked ahead of the game while India was batting. To add to their great bowling, they were also electric in the field and did not give anything away.

We did not get a look at the Pakistan middle-order, but they will not be too bothered about that, and Pakistan fans will be hoping that the middle order remains unused against the Kiwis as well. On paper, they have a pretty good middle-order with the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Fakhar Zaman, and Shoaib Malik. They bat pretty deep too, which can come in handy should the top-order batsmen have a day off.

Overall, Pakistan not only stunned everyone with their massive win against India, but they announced themselves as contenders for the title. They have a great record in the UAE and are familiar with the conditions, which is only going to play into their hands.

New Zealand Team Preview

New Zealand have not play many T20I matches lately and getting off to the perfect start against Pakistan is not going to be easy. Like the Pakistan team, New Zealand do not have a lot of players that played in the 2021 IPL, and that should help them when it comes to fatigue. However, as we saw in their two warm-up games, it could take them a bit of time to get used to the conditions.

One thing that we can guarantee is that New Zealand will never go down without a fight. With the return of Martin Guptill, they have some much-needed added experience in the team and some necessary firepower at the top of the order. Kane Williamson will be there to play the anchor role and then accelerate towards the end of the innings.

In the bowling department, New Zealand are well equipped. With the likes of Tim Southee, Lokie Ferguson, and Trent Boult, they have a bowling attack that can trouble the best batsmen. They also have a couple of decent all-rounders that can cause issues with bat and ball.

Overall, the Kiwis have a good side on paper and they usually perform well at World Cup events, so you definitely cannot discount them.

Toss Prediction

The captain that is lucky enough to win the toss will more than likely opt to bowl first. It can be tricky to set a total on the Sharjah wicket, while most of the recent matches here have been won by the team that has batted second.

Pitch Conditions

The conditions will be conducive to spin, and it will likely be a tricky wicket to score runs on. As a result, if you want to bet on the number of fours and sixes, we recommend that you opt for the "Under" option. The team that bats first should consider 140 to be a par score on the wicket.

Our Match Predictions

This is an important game for both teams but for different reasons. If Pakistan go on to win, they will believe that they already have one foot in the semi-finals. On the other hand, New Zealand will want to get their campaign off to a flier. On paper, there is not a lot between the two sides, but Pakistan are a team in form. Also, their players know the conditions a lot more than the Kiwi players, so we are going to say that Pakistan will make it two wins from two.

Our match prediction: