PAK vs NZ, 5th ODI: Hosts aim for a whitewash
Pakistan will square off against New Zealand in the 5th and final ODI of the series with an aim to clean sweep the visitors. The hosts have simply outclassed their opponents with some superb batting performances and hold an unassailable lead of 4-0. The Kiwis will look to play for pride and avoid the whitewash. Here is the preview of the final ODI.
Pitch report, timing, and streaming details
The final ODI will be played at the Karachi National Stadium. The pitch here favors the batters and we have seen plenty of runs scored in this series. 236 is the average first innings score here. 34 out of 69 ODIs have ended in the chasing team's favor. Sony Sports Network will telecast the match, and SonyLIV will live stream the game (4:00pm IST).
A look at the H2H record
The teams have met in 114 ODIs to date and the hosts have a substantial lead with 60 victories. Whereas, NZ have won 50 matches. The last match between the two teams saw Pakistan defend 334/6 and win by 102 runs. Babar Azam slammed a ton, while Usama Mir finished with 4/43. Tom Latham was the only NZ batter to score a half-century.
Can Pakistan complete the whitewash over NZ?
Pakistan have dominated this series against a second-string NZ team. The inexperienced Kiwis bowlers have struggled to outfox the seasoned batters. The top-order batters for Pakistan have delivered in this series, while the pacers have also done well. NZ will also look to avoid the whitewash and will hope that their bowlers manage to contain run flow against a strong batting lineup.
Here are the key performers
Fakhar Zaman has slammed two hundreds in the first two matches, scoring 330 runs in this series. Daryl Mitchell has also scored 297 runs with two centuries at 74.25. Babar has also smoked 275 runs in this series. He became the fastest to 5,000 ODI runs. Haris Rauf is the highest wicket-taker with eight scalps in three matches.
Here are the probable playing XIs
Pakistan Probable XI: Fakhar Zaman, Shan Masood, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammed Haris, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Naseem Shah. New Zealand Probable XI: Will Young, Tom Blundell (wicketkeeper), Daryl Mitchell, Tom Latham (captain), Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Blair Tickner, Ish Sodhi, and Matt Henry.
Dream11 Fantasy cricket options
Fantasy option 1: Babar Azam (captain), Fakhar Zaman, Mohammed Rizwan, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell, Mark Chapman, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi (vc), Usama Mir, Matt Henry and Naseem Shah. Fantasy option 2: Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman (captain), Mohammed Rizwan, Tom Latham, Daryl Mitchell (vc), Mark Chapman, Agha Salman, Shaheen Afridi, Usama Mir, Matt Henry and Naseem Shah.
