🏏ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: S8 - M41: New Zealand vs Pakistan🏏 - Page 2

i saw documentary scene of that pak batter yesterday boasting about hitting bumrah ball for a six lol 😆 kiwis please dho daalo sabko

NZ meet familiar opponents Pakistan in spin-friendly Premadasa

The two teams have faced each other 41 times between October 2022 and April 2025

Big picture: Two teams among the middle powers

41: That's the number of times New Zealandand Pakistan faced each other across formats in a 30-month period between October 2022 and April 2025. Twenty four of those meetings came in T20Is, with the sides compensating for a tour which New Zealand abandoned in 2021, citing security concerns by piling on as many bilateral engagements as is it was possible to fit in a calendar.

Aside from a T20 World Cup semi-final in Sydney in 2022, none of those games mattered as much as the one in Colombo on February 21. Both sides have much convincing to do as credible title-contenders after a group stage which saw them ease past lower-ranked teams while getting thumped by the one powerhouse they played. In New Zealand's case, it was South Africa who gave them a battering, while Pakistan were left similarly bruised by an Indian side that has otherwise not quite hit its straps.

For New Zealand, the biggest challenge is the switch of venue. They played all of their games in Chennai and Ahmedabad, and relied on a balance between seam and spin that leaned towards the former, with Mitchell Santner the only frontline spinner and Rachin Ravindra or Glenn Phillips chipping in with the odd over. In Colombo, that balance is likely to reverse as the slower bowlers take centre stage, something Pakistan have deployed so effectively in most of their matches.

Santner's men have not tinkered much with the batting order, which has held up remarkably well for the most part. Against weaker oppositions, some combination of openers Finn Allen and Tim Seifert, or top order batters Ravindra and Phillips, have showcased enough firepower to ease home. Opposition attacks have also struggled to puncture their way through, with New Zealand losing just 14 wickets in four games, the second fewest for any side in this tournament.

Unlike New Zealand, Pakistan know this city intimately well by now. Three of their four games may have been played at the SSC - the other Colombo ground - but their match against India here at the RPS was, like Saturday's contest, also an evening game, giving them a valuable read into the pitch and conditions. It is the venue they used more spin on than any other, with captain Salman Ali Agha suggesting that would only continue in the Super Eight.

Pakistan's top order has the explosiveness to blow teams away, even if they have struggled to translate that potential with form for Saim Ayub. Sahibzada Farhan at the other end has taken on the mantle for powerplay run-scoring as runs for Agha having dried up before the game against Namibia, and Babar Azam no nearer to maximising his ability. That fragility too quickly brings up a middle order comprising too many bowling allrounders or the untested Khawaja Nafay, a situation that led to a near-defeat against the Netherlands and a decisive defeat against India.

This is two teams situated among the middle powers of this World Cup, eager to demonstrate they're better than what they managed against true superpowers like India and South Africa. What matters, ultimately, is which of them can show they're better than the middle power they face off against on Saturday.

Form guide

New Zealand: WLWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)

Pakistan: WLWWW

Thank you for the tag Raji

Thanks for the tag, Savera ji!

Rooting for Kiwis!!!

Probable Best Performers

Probable Best Batter: Sahibzada Farhan

The in-form batter from Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan will be the batter to watch out for in this contest. After duck against India, he came back strongly with an unbeaten 100 versus Namibia. Pakistan would want him to bat in the same way against New Zealand.

Probable Best Bowler: Usman Tariq

The mystery spinner from Pakistan has been a revelation in this tournament. In three matches so far, he has picked up eight wickets. Hence, he will be the bowler to watch out for in this contest.

All things considered, both sides will be up for it on a surface that will help spin once the game progresses. Both teams are expected to go in with heavy spin options. Pakistan will be slightly ahead, given their spinners are a step ahead of their counterparts.

It’s going to be the 50th T20I between New Zealand and Pakistan. New Zealand have won 23 matches, Pakistan 24, while two games ended in no result. Hello and a booming welcome to Stage 2 of this mega event. You could not have asked for a better opening contest to kick off the Super 8 stage.

Both teams were beaten by the previous T20 World Cup finalists - South Africa and India - during the group stage. And remember, neither side made it to the Super 8s in 2024. As if that wasn’t enough to build the excitement, an unwanted guest could spoil the weekend: rain. It prevented teams from practising yesterday and may affect this contest too. Let’s hope it remains only a forecast and we get a full, thrilling game of cricket.

Pakistan’s journey to the Super 8s:

They had a narrow escape in their opener against the Netherlands, winning in the final over while chasing 148. Then came a comfortable 32-run victory over the United States, powered by the brilliance of Sahibzada Farhan and their spinners. They struggled against their arch-rivals, India, but bounced back strongly, with Farhan smashing a stunning century against Namibia to seal their biggest World Cup win by runs. Farhan is currently the tournament's leading run-scorer, while Usman Tariq has taken 8 wickets from 3 games at an average of 8.38. However, the pace attack is yet to fully fire. Can they step up today?

New Zealand’s journey to the Super 8s:

All three of their wins have come while chasing. The only time they batted first - against South Africa - they lost by seven wickets. Tim Seifert leads the batting charts with 173 runs from four games at a strike rate of 167.96. Mitchell Santner, who missed the last match against Canada due to illness, has picked up just one wicket from three games so far. Glenn Phillips played a match-winning knock of 76 off 36 balls in the previous game, while Daryl Mitchell has batted only twice in four matches. They had comfortable wins over Afghanistan, the UAE and Canada, but their spinners are yet to make a major impact. Their batting could face a sterner test if they are asked to set a target tonight.