New Zealand and Pakistan are ready to face off in the 33rd match of the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in Birmingham on Wednesday. Edgbaston in Birmingham will be used as the venue, which will be hosting its 60th ODI on Wednesday. In the previous match at the ground, it was a close contest between bat and ball where New Zealand eventually came out on top with a four-wicket margin against South Africa on June 19.
The game is another do-or-die encounter for Pakistan who are placed on the seventh spot on the table with just five points from six matches, therefore, they need a positive result in all of the remaining three matches in order to have any chance of cementing a berth in the final four. In the batting department, the Men in Green will be relying on the top-order trio of Imam Ul-Haq, Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman to score bulk of the runs, whereas on the bowling front, the onus will be on the likes of pacers Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz and leg-spinner Shadab Khan to produce timely breakthroughs. With an impressive win over South Africa in the previous match, Pakistan is expected to field the same playing eleven.
On the other hand, for New Zealand, the game propose an opportunity for the 2015 World Cup runners-up to cement a place in the last-four with a positive result. In the batting department, the Black Caps will be relying on the likes of
