Bengaluru (Web Desk/Agencies): New Zealand on Saturday set a target of 402 runs for Pakistan in the 35th match of the ICC World Cup 2023 being played at Bengaluru's M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra scored his third century amassing 108 runs from 94 balls while he anchored a strong partnership with skipper Kane Williamson who scored 95.
In today’s match, Glenn Phillips scored 41 off 25, Mark Chapman 39 off 27, Daryl Mitchell 29 off 18.
Earlier, Pakistan won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand.
Pakistani pacer Mohammad Wasim got three wickets , Iftikhar Ahmed (1/55), Hasan Ali (1/82) and Haris Rauf (1/85) picked up a wicket each.
Pakistan's medium pace bowler Hasan Ali completed his 100 one-day international (ODI) wickets.
He dismissed New Zealand opener Devon Conway for 35 in the 11th over of the innings to reach the milestone in his 66th match.
Pakistan made one change inducting Hassan Ali in place of Usama Mir while the Kiwis made two changes as Ish Sodhi and Kane Williamson have replaced Matt Henry and Will Young in today's match.
The winner of today's match will become a strong contender to qualify for the semi-final.
Pakistan are two points off fourth-placed Black Caps, with the top four advancing to the semis, and although New Zealand have a greatly superior net run rate, Babar Azam’s men feel they have a lifeline when the two sides meet today.
New Zealand are currently fourth in the 10-team table with eight points after their opening four wins were followed by three defeats. Pakistan, with six points, need to win to stay in contention for a semi-final place.
Pakistan not only need to win against New Zealand to keep themselves alive heading into the last round of matches, but calculators will be out to see whether Babar’s men can surpass their opponents’ net run rate.
The Green Shirts need to chase the target in 35.2 overs to beat net run rate (NRR) of the Kiwis.
Teams
Pakistan: Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Agha Salman, Mohammad Wasim, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf.
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson (c), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (wk), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult
