New Zealand take on Pakistan in the final T20I of the series at McLean Park in Napier on Tuesday evening.

If the first match was a case of a match of small margins, New Zealand squashed all of that by an emphatic victory in the second T20I. After restricting Pakistan to a total of 163, they reached the target with 9 wickets to spare.

T Seifert continued his dominant form with the bat with yet another half century. K Williamson also scored an unbeaten fifty after his return to the game from paternity leave. Bowling first for the second time in a row, T Southee exploited the swing on offer and took 3 wickets inside the first six overs. J Neesham and I Sodhi chipped in with a wicket each. With the series already won, expect players like T Astle and D Mitchell to get a chance to be in the playing XI for this game.

Pakistan's top order suffered a collapse for the second time in two matches. M Hafeez fought a lone battle with the bat, finishing with 99 runs off 57 balls. The rest of the batting unit scored just 61 runs off 63 balls. H Talat might replace A Shafique, who was dismissed for a duck twice in two matches.

The bowlers were off color while defending the score and took only one wicket in the New Zealand innings. F Ashraf picked up the only wicket. S Afridi and H Rauf were taken for runs at nearly 10 runs per over while the spinners are yet to take a wicket in this series.

New Zealand are a dominant force in their home conditions and unbeaten in the home summer so far. Expect both teams to give their best performance here despite the series already decided. All in all, the final T20I of 2020 is going to be pretty exciting. 

Match Details

• Match: New Zealand vs. Pakistan, 3rd T20
• Venue: McLean Park, Napier
• Date & Time: Dec. 22, 2020, at 11.30 AM IST

Probable Playing XI

New Zealand

T Seifert (WK), M Guptill, K Williamson (C), D Conway, G Phillips, J Neesham, D Mitchell, K Jamieson, T Southee, T Astle, T Boult

Pakistan

M Rizwan (WK), H Ali, H Talat, M Hafeez, K Shah, S Khan (C), F Ashraf, U Qadir, M Hasnain, S Afridi, H Rauf

Weather and Pitch Report

It’s going to be a bright and sunny day, with the temperature expected to be around 22 degrees during the game. Expect a full match with no weather interruptions.

McLean Park is one the flattest wickets in the country, and the batsmen are expected to take full advantage of that. The bowlers will have to rely on their lengths and variations to deceive the batsmen. England scored 241 runs in the last T20I match played here more than a year ago.

The pitch is expected to slow down a little as the match progresses and with the added pressure of the run chase, batsmen will find it difficult to time the ball in the second innings. Expect the captain winning the toss to opt to bat first.

Key Players

• T Seifert had scores of 57 and 84* and helped his team chase Pakistan’s totals in the last two matches. He will look to continue his dominant form and contribute with a big score for the third time in this series.
• D Conway has played only 5 T20I matches but looks a pretty solid player. Included in the team in the absence of Williamson, he scored 65* and 41 in the two games against the West Indies. With the series decided, expect him to be promoted up the order and get more runs under his belt. 
• T Southee, on his returns to the team, had figures of 4 for 21 runs in the last match. His early strikes troubled Pakistan’s batsmen and put them on the back-foot early in the match, ultimately restricting them to a reasonable total.
• M Hafeez has been Pakistan’s best batsman in T20Is this year. He stood up in the last game with 99* off just 57 balls, smashing 10 boundaries and 5 sixes in his innings. Expect him to continue his good form in this game too. 
• K Shah is a good hitter of the white ball and has had decent outings in the last two games. As the top order failed in both the games, expect him to be promoted up the order in this game. He has a strike rate of 135 in T20s and has hit 77 sixes so far.
• F Ashraf had decent figures of 3-0-18-0 and 3.2-0-19-1 in the last two matches. He also played a handy knock of 31 runs in the first game. Expect him to continue his good form with the ball.

Howzat Dream Team

• Wicketkeepers: T Seifert, M Rizwan
• Batsmen: D Conway, M Guptill, D Mitchell, H Talat, K Shah
• All-rounders: M Hafeez
• Bowlers: K Jamieson, T Southee, F Ashraf

• Captain: K Jamieson/T Siefert
• Vice Captain: H Talat/M Hafeez

NOTE: The Howzat dream team above is just a suggestion. You can select your own fantasy 11, and play real cricket online matches. Also, don’t forget to make any necessary changes to your team once the actual playing 11 is announced by each team (30 minutes before the start of the match) as some players you have selected might not be part of the team suggested.

Get fantasy cricket tips on your favorite fantasy sports app and select your own team, Howzat!