Pakistan's bowlers under focus in fight to keep series alive

They were the losing finalist in the previous T20 World Cup, and made it as far as the semifinals in the edition before that. But bilateral T20I series have not been Pakistan's forte in the last couple of years. Among all the Test playing nations, they have played the joint least number of T20Is (18) along with Sri Lanka and have won only one third of their matches.

Since 2022, Pakistan haven't won a single T20I series, having lost to Australia, England and even Afghanistan (albeit with a second-string side), and had to be satisfied with a drawn series against New Zealand at home in their last T20I outing, which was way back in 2023. A lot has changed with Pakistan since then, including a new captain and vice-captain. But their performances in the T20I format hasn't yet reached the potential they are capable of and Pakistan now stand on the brink of another series defeat, trailing New Zealand 2-0 after back to back losses.

Despite showing some fire-power with the bat, they haven't been able to sustain their batting momentum, resulting in two failed chases after the hosts posted big totals on both occasions. Babar Azam has been solid with successive half-centuries while Fakhar Zaman, batting at No.4, came up with a blitzy 25-ball 50 in the last match. All said, Pakistan could do with their bowlers showing better discipline.

New Zealand, on the other hand, have been making the right noises so far in the series, with their batting firing all cylinders and their bowlers being able to deliver consistently, armed with the cushion of big runs. Finn Allen and Daryl Mitchell have especially been dominating with the bat, while Tim Southee and Adam Milne have bagged four wicket hauls to round off New Zealand's clinical performances in the two matches. They'll be looking to continue in the same vein and exploit Pakistan's shortcomings to seal the series.

When: Wednesday, January 17 at 1:00 PM Local Time

Where: University Oval, Dunedin

What to expect: Only two T20Is have been played at this venue with New Zealand winning both matches. Australia ran them close in a chase of 220 back in 2021 while Sri Lanka's 141 wasn't enough to challenge the hosts last year as they won with 5.2 overs to spare. Batting friendly conditions are expected along with temperatures around 17 degree Celsius.

Team news:

New Zealand: Kane Williamson was to be rested for the third T20I but a right hamstring injury forced him to retire hurt midway during the second T20I, and was subsequently ruled out for the remainder of the series. Will Young will remain with the squad while Tim Seifert is likely to replace Williamson and also take up the gloves. Mitchell Santner, who handled the T20I captaincy in the series against Bangladesh, is set to step in the leadership shoes again.

Probable XI:Finn Allen, Devon Conway, Tim Seifert (wk), Daryl Mitchell, Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, Mitchell Santner (c), Adam Milne, Tim Southee, Ish Sodhi, Ben Sears.

Pakistan: Aamer Jamal has been expensive in his last two outings and Pakistan might look at giving him a break should they wish to, with the 27-year old also having featured in the Australia Tests before this. Mohammad Nawaz is an option considering spinners have been effective in Dunedin.

Probable XI: Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Azam Khan (wk), Aamer Jamal/Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi (c), Usama Mir, Abbas Afridi, Haris Rauf