Qualification possibilities abound for New Zealand as they prepare to face Pakistan in their final league match from Group A. Australia, the defending champion, has already qualified for the semifinals with four consecutive wins; the battle for the second spot is anything but over, however.

New Zealand is the hot favorite to win against Pakistan; defeat could allow India, currently at second place with a better net run rate, to capitalize.

Pakistan’s Qualification Scenario

Pakistan also gets a chance to qualify in this offbeat twist. If they beat New Zealand by more than 53 runs or within 9.1 overs assuming New Zealand’s target would be around 150, then they will even overtop both India and New Zealand and thereby head to the semis. And that heightens the intensity of the match even more, with New Zealand having led India previously in this series. That one 58-run win was very soon overtopped by a shocking 60-run loss to the side’s net run rate took a beating as well.

New Zealand Performance And Players To Watch

While New Zealand did well to get a good win against Sri Lanka, it’s hard to find any place for an improvement in net run rate due to the Sharjah pitches. White Ferns are very solid with Amelia Kerr proving to be a potent attack with the ball and Georgia Plimmer sharing the load in batting pretty well. The key batter and the captain, Sophie Devine, can be a handful for any side.

They play in Dubai, where the pitches might offer better bounce and even better pace than Sharjah. Pakistan have not fared well in Dubai, losing both matches; their only victory was against Sri Lanka at Sharjah. Pakistan’s slim hopes of qualification can make them unpredictable.

The batting has been an area of serious concern for Pakistan, and skipper Fatima Sana led from the front in the win against Sri Lanka. She has been missing the game against Australia because of personal reasons, but returns as Pakistan’s most consistent batter. Whether she jumps up the order to bat higher or will look to bat as a finisher is to be seen. The openers, who have been so far minuscule contributors in this tournament, have to step up and improve their performance on all fronts.

While Pakistan has a fair potential bowling attack, especially in spin, they will miss the loss of pace bowler Diana Baig to injury.

Match Details

Date: Monday, October 14 at 6 PM local | 7:30 PM IST
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

What To Expect

Thus, the Dubai pitches have more scope to bat on as they retain pace and bounce. Spin will come into the equation when the first innings get old. The toss has not swung the games much, and indeed, teams batting second have had the slight edge (3-2).

The glamour of this high-profile match promises as both these teams fight for one prized semifinal position.

Probable Playing XIs

New Zealand Probable XI: Suzie Bates, Georgia Plimmer, Amelia Kerr, Sophie Devine (c), Maddy Green, Brooke Halliday, Isabella Gaze(wk), Lea Tahuhu, Leigh Kasparek Rosemary Mair, Eden Carson.

Pakistan Probable XI: Muneeba Ali(wk), Sidra Amin, Sadaf Shamas/Iram Javed, Nida Dar, Aliya Riaz, Fatima Sana, Omaima Sohail, Tuba Hassan, Sadia Iqbal, Nashra Sandhu, Syeda Aroob Shah