Following Pakistan’s historic 2-1 Twenty20 International (T20I) series win over hosts New Zealand, the curtain raiser of the 3-match One-Day International (ODI) series is scheduled to take place at John Davies Oval, Queenstown. The game is set to be played on the 12th of December, 2023, at 3:30 AM Indian Standard Time (IST).
Squads:
New Zealand – Sophie Devine (C), Kate Anderson, Suzie Bates, Bernadine Bezuidenhout, Izzy Gaze, Maddy Green, Fran Jonas, Melie Kerr, Jess Kerr, Molly Penfold, Georgia Plimmer, Hannah Rowe, Lea Tahuhu
Pakistan – Nida Dar (C), Aliya Riaz, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Ghulam Fatima, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Omaima Sohail, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Umm-e-Hani, Waheeda Akhtar
Players to watch out:
Maddy Green
The 31-year-old batter, in 56 ODI outings, has amassed 1180 runs, including the highest score of 122. Maddy had a decent run in the T20I series against Pakistan and only recently, in domestic fixtures, notched up successive scores of 91* and 77*. She is in form and will be relied upon for significant scores in the ODIs.
Jess Kerr
The 25-year-old pacer, in 26 bowling outings, has scalped 34 wickets in ODIs, maintaining an economy rate of 4.10 and registering the best figures of 4/23, while also being handy with the bat. Jess went wicketless in both of her T20I outings against Pakistan but will be backed to perform well in the ODIs.
Muneeba Ali
The 26-year-old keeper-batter, averaging 23.45, has accumulated 774 runs from 34 ODI appearances and registered the highest score of 107. Muneeba, in the T20I series, displayed fine form, registering scores of 23, 35, and 27. It will be expected of her to carry forward this form into the ODIs and build on these scores.
Aliya Riaz
The 31-year-old all-rounder, in 53 ODIs, has racked up 1144 runs, with the best being 81, and has also claimed 10 wickets. Of late, Aliya has consistently been among the runs and has been instrumental in winning games for Pakistan. She was no different in the T20Is, scoring 25* and 32*. She’ll again be relied upon for her contributions.
Pitch:
The John Davies Oval dishes out a good batting deck with an average score in the 240s. However, it does pose a challenge for batters, with bowlers, both spinners and pacers being equally effective.
Weather:
Despite overcast conditions with cloudy overhead, a complete game of cricket can be expected as the chances of rain are minimal. The temperature is forecasted to hover around 13°C with a humidity level of 44%.
Fantasy playing XI:
Muneeba Ali, Suzie Bates, Bismah Maroof, Maddy Green, Sidra Amin, Aliya Riaz, Sophie Devine, Jess Kerr, Nida Dar, Fatima Sana, Lea Tahuhu
Match details:
Date – December 12, 2023
Time – 3:30 AM IST
Venue – John Davies Oval, Queenstown
Broadcast – The game will be live-streamed on Amazon Prime.
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