3rd T20I: Williamson-less NZ aim to seal series against Pakistan
What's the story
Pakistan will have a lot to play for as they meet New Zealand in the third T20I of the five-match series.
The Men in Green fought well in the first two games but could not cross the line.
Meanwhile, the Kiwis, who are 2-0 up, can seal the series with a win.
Here we look at the match preview.
Details
Venue, pitch report, and streaming details
The University Oval, Dunedin will host the third game on January 17 (5:30am IST).
The pitch here usually assists both batters and bowlers. Teams batting first have won three of the five T20Is here.
154 reads the average score while batting first.
While the match won't be broadcast live in India, fans can stream it live on the Amazon Prime app.
H2H
A look at the head-to-head record
Pakistan have an edge over NZ in T20Is as they own 20 victories and 15 defeats (NR: 1).
However, on New Zealand soil, the Kiwis have 10 wins and seven defeats against the team.
Pakistan's preceding T20I assignment in the nation was a tri-series in October 2022, also involving Bangladesh.
The Men in Green defeated NZ in the final.
Williamson
Kane Williamson unavailable for NZ
NZ skipper Kane Williamson, who got retired hurt in the second game, might miss the remainder of the series.
Williamson, who "experienced tightness" in his right hamstring, was anyway due to miss the third game.
While Tim Seifert is expected to replace Williamson in the batting line-up, Mitchell Santner would overtake the captaincy duties.
PAK
Pakistan bowlers have struggled in the series
Pakistan have been majorly let down by their bowlers as the likes of Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf have struggled to contain runs.
Finn Allen's fiery batting in the powerplay has been instrumental to NZ's wins. Daryl Mitchell has also done well.
Meanwhile, for Pakistan, Babar Azam smoked fifties in both games. Fakhar Zaman scored a 25-ball 50 in the second match.
XIs
Here are the Probable XIs
NZ (Probable XI): Finn Allen, Devon Conway (WK), Tim Seifert, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (C), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears.
Pakistan (Probable XI): Mohammad Rizwan, Saim Ayub, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (WK), Aamer Jamal, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi (C), Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf.
Stats
Here are the key performers
Rauf has raced to 30 wickets in 15 games against NZ (ER: 7.91).
Babar boasts 424 T20I runs on NZ soil at 53.
Adam Milne, who claimed 4/33 in the second game, has completed 25 wickets against Pakistan at 19.48.
Allen, who made a 41-ball 74 in the second game, has raced to 199 runs against Pakistan (SR: 173.04).
Dream11
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy XI (Option 1): Devon Conway, Mohammad Rizwan (VC), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Daryl Mitchell (C), Finn Allen, Mitchell Santner, Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Tim Southee, Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Fantasy XI (Option 2): Devon Conway (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, Mark Chapman, Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Finn Allen (C), Iftikhar Ahmed, Aamer Jamal, Adam Milne, Abbas Afridi.