Pakistan will bowl first after captain Babar Azam won the toss ahead of their crunch clash with New Zealand in Bengaluru at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson has returned after overcoming a thumb injury, while leg-spinner Ish Sodhi has also been recalled to face Pakistan.

Will Young and the injured Matt Henry make way for the experienced New Zealand duo at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Pakistan will rely more on pace with Hasan Ali brought into the XI for the crunch clash with New Zealand.

The stakes could not be higher for a Pakistan outfit that needs to defeat New Zealand to have any hope of reaching the knockout stages of the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.

The 1992 World Cup champions also need to win convincingly enough to boost their net run rate to close in on New Zealand’s rate, then follow up with another victory when they face England next Saturday to keep their semi-final dream alive.

New Zealand almost had one foot in the knockout stages when opening their World Cup with four consecutive triumphs, but three losses on the trot and injuries to key players suddenly have their campaign on a knife’s edge.

Kyle Jamieson has been left out of the New Zealand XI after taking the place of Henry in their World Cup squad, though the tall right-armer is expected to be crucial at the pointy end of the tournament.

Playing XIs
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Trent Boult, Mark Chapman, Devon Conway, Lockie Ferguson, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Glenn Phillips, Rachin Ravindra, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Will Young.

Pakistan: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim.

--ICC