Pakistan after their historic win over India will play New Zealand in their next game in Sharjah on Tuesday. The game will be the second of the two games to be played on the day. The Kiwis recently pulled out from an international bilateral series that was supposed to be played in Pakistan due to security concerns. This adds to the subplot of the game with the Pakistanis eyeing to avenge the disrespect from the Kiwis.
Meanwhile, former Indian opener Aakash Chopra has predicted the winner of the game in his while previewing the game on his Youtube channel. He predicted Pakistan pacers Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi to be amongst the wickets.
Pakistan Too Good For New Zealand: Aakash Chopra
“Haris Rauf and Shaheen Afridi will together take 4 or more wickets. I was taking Haris Rauf lightly but he is a decent bowler. He bowls at pace and his slower one is very deceptive. The length at which he bowls will be perfect for Sharjah.”
From the Kiwi camp, Chopra expects Lockie Ferguson to have an impact in the game given his recent experience of playing in UAE conditions.
“Lockie Ferguson can take 2 or more wickets. He has bowled decently well here, he has played IPL encounters for Kolkata. I think he will be fine.”
Aakash Chopra opined that the trio of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman will make a substantial contribution for Pakistan.
“Babar, Rizwan and Zaman – their top three – will make more than 90 runs. And I feel they will have to do that as well if you have to go ahead because you have to do a lot better in the powerplay overs than the last four or five overs.”
Chopra concluded by saying that Pakistan will end up winning the contest given that they are supremely confident heading into this game after their win against India.
“I am just going with Pakistan to win. New Zealand will have to play much above their potential to trouble Pakistan. The scales are tilted heavily towards Pakistan” said Chopra.
