An uphill task yet to be achieved by the green shirts is to strike a victory against Kiwis in the coming match, and win the games against Afghanistan as well as Bangladesh in order to remain in contention for the semi-final qualifications.
Match details
Match 33: New Zealand v Pakistan
Venue: Edgbaston, Brimingham
Date: Wednesday, 26 June
Time: 02:30pm PST, 09:30am GMT
Even the success in the coming three matches does not guarantee the Pakistani team a ticket to the semi-final, as it also heavily depends on the results of other matches.
A victory against South Africa, their second in the mega event in England, has pumped up confidence in the Pak team and they seem ready to take on Kiwis challenge in a decent manner and to go all out for a success by showcasing collective efforts, but lax fielding still remains a worry for them.
Because of its superb run, New Zealanders are at the top of the points table with eleven points. After playing six matches, Pakistan are at the seventh place on the points table in the 10-team event, which portrays their dismal performance in the world tournament.
Display of aggressive cricket with precision and responsibility can lead Pak team to success against New Zealand in a challenging encounter.
Weather report
There is rain expected on match eve, but by the time Wednesday comes around, the weather should have eased out considerably.
Squads
New Zealand: Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Tom Blundell (wk), Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Colin Munro, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry,
Pakistan: Sarfaraz Ahmed (c, wk), Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Shadab Khan, Shoaib Malik, Wahab Riaz, Fakhar Zaman
Dream 11
Kane Williamson (c), Ross Taylor, Tom Latham (wk), Martin Guptill, Mitchell Santner, Lockie Ferguson, Shadab Khan, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Trent Boult, Haris Sohail